Craftworkers

This Service Group Conference notes:- 1)That there are currently some 8,500 Craft members in our union 2)That UNISON does not have a place on the JNC or Scottish Joint Council for Craft Workers 3)That on a national basis, effective representation of UNISON members via negotiating bodies does not exist 4)That Craft members are not covered […]

Nursery Nurses Pay

Under 1) add at the end: “in England and Wales”. Add new 2): “2) Welcomes the pay increases that nursery nurses achieved across Scotland and the Scottish Executive’s national review of the Early Years and childcare workforce due to be released for consultation.” Add new 3) 3) Notes the research evidence Nursery Nurses in Scotland […]

Underfunding of Social Care Services for Adults

Conference deplores the gross underfunding of care services for adults in all parts of the UK and recognises that those for the elderly and adults with disabilities are particularly threatened. Conference expresses its deep concern on the effect that this underfunding is having on the jobs and working conditions of our members working in these […]

The Disability Equality Duty and Local Government

Replace C) with: Ensure local government staff who have acquired new skills and responsibilities as a result of the new legislation have these recognised through the Job Evaluation processes and the application of equality proofed pay and grading structures to local government staff.

Local Government Pay

This conference condemns the announcement by the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, that public sector pay rises will be capped at 2% over the next three years and his call for more local and regional flexibility in pay bargaining. Conference notes that: 1)Inflation is currently running at 2.6% 2)Recruitment and retention problems in local government are running […]

Agenda for Change for Staff transferred out of the NHS to Community & Voluntary Sector Providers

Conference notes the success of negotiations with the Department of Health and private contractors to secure an agreement by which staff transferred from the NHS to major private contractors will become subject to Agenda for Change terms and conditions over the next two years. This agreement, when fully implemented, will end of most of the […]

Mileage Allowances

This Conference is extremely concerned that there appears to be no effective or responsive mechanism in place to recompense NHS staff for the petrol they use whilst on official business. This is particularly true for staff who are using their own cars for work purposes. Many employers insist that staff are entitled only to claim […]

NHS in Crisis

Conference notes with deep concern the financial crisis faced by many NHS Trusts across England. In recent weeks there have been news reports daily of Hospital and Primary Care Trusts forced to close departments, freeze recruitment and discontinue the use of agency staff. In addition Trusts are also resorting to redundancy measures to save money. […]

Professional Indemnity

Conference notes the following: ·That all staff working in the NHS, including Agency Staff, are covered by NHS Indemnity. This means that NHS bodies are vicariously liable for the negligent acts and omissions of their employees and should have arrangements for meeting this liability. Under Common Law all employers, including voluntary organisations, are vicariously liable […]

Food & Nutrition

This Conference notes that the Health Services in all four countries of the UK have set standards in respect of the nutritional content of patient food. However it is recognised that beyond the basic minimum standards, assessment of an individual patient’s nutritional needs appears to be very inconsistent and in some cases non existent. Another […]

Primary Care Campaign

The Department of Health’s plans to separate the provider and commissioning functions of Primary Care Trusts poses a massive threat to the future of the National Health Service. The next two years will be crucial in determining how primary care staff are employed and how primary care services are to be delivered. Conference recognises that […]

Race Equality

Despite the passing of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and claims made by the Secretary of State at Unison’s Health Conference in 2004 that the NHS has a diverse workforce, we still do not have an equal workforce. Economic migration has brought into the NHS, a workforce which reflects the diversity and mix of […]

Agenda for Chnage for Private Contractor Staff

Conference congratulates the national negotiating team on reaching agreement to allow Agenda for Change to be applied to staff employed by private contractors. This has every chance of eradicating the two tier workforce and being the catalyst to banish private contractors from NHS Soft Facilities Contracts. Whilst we welcome this move, we have serious concerns […]

Unsocial Hours Review

With the negotiations for an unsocial hours agreement under Agenda for Change well under way, we must learn lessons from the pay modernisation programme. In 2003 Conference passed a motion submitted by Exeter City Branch, that a survey be conducted and published to ascertain what the national rates of pay for sleep-in duty were, and […]

Agenda for Change, The Matching Process & Non-Clinical Jobs

This Health Conference expresses its concern that the implementation of the Job Evaluation Matching Exercise, which is intended to introduce Equal Pay for Equal Value into the Health Service, is in many cases doing the opposite, and that this is happening across the 4 countries, across disciplines and across grades. Conference is very disappointed at […]