Save Our Services

Conference notes with deep concern the government’s continuing commitment to the private provision of public services. In every part of the public sector from schools and hospitals to housing and benefits the government is pushing ahead with privatisation and outsourcing. In the National Health Service (NHS), the government appears committed to privatisation by stealth. At […]

Local Government White Paper

Conference notes that the 2006 Local Government White Paper has major implications for thousands of UNISON members not just in local government, but in health, education policing, transport and other areas. It also affects all our members as local citizens. Conference also notes that the agenda set out in the White Paper, and the subsequent […]

UNISON Commitment to the Environment

Conference welcomes the environmental campaign work that UNISON has undertaken over the previous year. Our union has a strong record on the environment, which has included both work place specific activities, such as negotiating green travel plans, cycle to work schemes and re-cycling facilities, and support for national and international campaigns, such as the call […]

Organising Migrant Workers in the UK

Conference applauds the work that UNISON has done recently in respect of organising, representing, protecting and supporting migrant workers. Conference calls on UNISON to continue its positive response to inward migration, and to take this opportunity to recruit and organise these, often vulnerable, workers. UNISON has provided recruitment and information materials in several languages, set […]

Marketisation of Public Services

Conference believes that the marketisation of public services threatens the advances that have been made in the last 10 years, brought about as a result of a major investment and reform programme resulting in a dramatic cut in NHS waiting lists and waiting times, rising school standards, falling crime, safer communities and improvements in local […]

Organising and Recruiting

Conference believes the priority for UNISON is to organise and grow and eventually become a union of two million public service members because unless we grow in numbers and density we cannot grow in influence with employers, the government and other agencies. A growing union is the most effective way of improving the working lives […]

Review of Branch and Service Group Structures

Conference approves the recommendations contained in the National Executive Council’s report on the Review of Branch and Service Group Structures: Recommendation 1. National Executive Council (NEC) to produce a revised scheme as per rule G 1.2 to ensure that branches: a)give members a right to participate in their union; b)give members a right to be […]

Attacks on Public Sector Workers: Violence Against Staff

The Emergency Workers (Obstruction) Act 2006 now provides greater protection in law for all emergency workers. A person guilty of an offence under this Act is liable on summary conviction to a fine. The Act follows the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 which made it a specific offence to assault, obstruct or hinder someone providing […]

Access to Work

Conference welcomes the intention of the government to give greater assistance for disabled people and those suffering ill health who seek access to work. However it notes with concern that part of the government’s plans for the reform of Incapacity Benefit and replacement by an Employment and Support Allowance involve A) the potential for sanctions […]

Making the Gender Equality Duty work for all women in local government

Conference welcomes the new duty on local authorities and other public bodies in England, Scotland and Wales to proactively promote gender equality, following the similar, longer-standing duty in Northern Ireland. The gender duty requires local authorities, when carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to: 1Promote equality of opportunity between women […]

Rise of BNP

Conference notes the: 1)rise of the British National Party (BNP) in the West Midlands and across the country; 2)joint work carried out with Searchlight and Unite Against Fascism (UAF) in campaigning against the BNP; 3)positive steps forward in working with other trade unions and establishing local activists and neighbourhood activities to combat the BNP; 4)establishment […]

LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Conference notes that since Labour came into power in 1997, parts of local government have received welcome investment and started to recover from the lean Tory years. For example, by 2007/8, local government in England will have seen a 39% increase in overall funding in real terms since 1997. Much of this has been in […]

SCHOOL STAFF NATIONAL FRAMEWORK

Following on from previous Local Government Conference decisions, this conference welcomes the movement towards establishing a national framework for school support staff in England. Conference notes that over one third of schools in England are already self governing, with staff directly employed by the school, and that this figure is likely to increase. Given this […]

EQUALITY DUTIES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Conference welcomes the equality duties on race, disability and gender which require local authorities to promote equality of opportunity and eliminate discrimination for service users and staff, rather than wait for individuals to complain. Existing practices and any changes to employment or service delivery must be assessed to examine their impact – giving branches a […]

STRATEGIC SERVICE PARTNERSHIPS

Conference notes the continuing trend of local authorities to sign up with a private company to provide a Strategic Service Partnership. This can occur even when an authority is functioning well and for no other reason than an attempt to bring ‘new’ jobs to an area. The Local Government White Paper and Local Government Bill […]