The Best Education for All

Conference reiterates its policy and belief that children, families and communities are best served by a secondary system that is comprehensive, free of selection and accountable to local people through Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and condemns the government for effectively turning education (a social and cultural aspect of society) into a market, eroding the potential […]

Public Services

Conference records that the last Spending Review by the Chancellor committed an extra £60 billion to public services up to 2008, with £40 billion going to the National Health Service (NHS). Despite this growth, and accompanying increases in public sector jobs, there has been a misguided efficiency drive and marketisation strategy that is leading to […]

Health and Safety Reps Seminar

The Service Groups covered by the Business and Environment Unit held a successful Seminar of Health & Safety Reps at National level in the early part of this decade. Many Health and Safety related legislative changes that affect members in the Energy Service Group have occurred since this time and this Energy Conference calls on […]

Disability Equality within the Water Industry

We welcome the changes to legislation passed in April 2005 and coming into force December 2006. This will impose a new disability equality duty on public bodies. However we are concerned that the water industry may not be covered by the new duties. We believe these new duties could contribute towards a barrier-free society and […]

Wheechair Access to Water Coolers

Conference welcomes the decision of the Water and Environment Service Group Executive to launch the Water@Work campaign as part of the wider Water for Health Alliance in liaison with Water UK, WaterAid, and various water companies. Conference recognises that the health benefits of drinking water regularly are incontrovertible and that well hydrated workers have been […]

Health and Safety Reps Seminar

The Service Groups covered by the Business and Environment Unit held a successful Seminar of Health & Safety Reps at National level in the early part of this decade. Many Health and Safety related legislative changes that affect members in the Water & Environment Service Group have occurred since this time and this Water & […]

Concessionary Fares Schemes

Conference whilst welcoming the proposal to introduce a long awaited UK-wide concessionary bus fares scheme effective from April 2008 announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Speech, in line with Unison policy, it deplores this delay to include England as existing national schemes already exist in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The […]

Sickness Absence

Conference notes: 1.that employers are adopting increasingly draconian procedures which allow for an increase in the disciplining and dismissal of genuinely ill employees; 2.that it is often the case that the same employers are failing to abide by health and safety procedures or the Disability Discrimination Act; 3.that one of the single largest causes of […]

Public Services

The government’s reform agenda for public services is being rolled out at an alarming rate and will radically and irreversibly change the provision and management of public services. Issues and proposals of concern include: 1)in health: a)proposals to re-organise strategic health authorities and fundamentally primary care trusts (PCTs) as part of ‘Commissioning a Patient led […]

Workers Memorial Day

Conference notes that on 11 November, and on the closest Sunday after that date each year within the United Kingdom, civic and religious ceremonies are held to mark the death and injuries caused as a result of war. It is with sadness that Conference also observes that although the International Trade Unions Movement has designated […]

Organising for Growth

Conference welcomes the 2005 recruitment figures which show that UNISON recruited 162,000 new members with a net gain of 32,000 members. With the exception of 2002, this is the highest number of members recruited in any year since 1994. Conference welcomes the challenging recruitment targets set by the National Executive Council for 2006. Conference further […]

NHS Marketisation

Conference notes with dismay the growing negative effects that the marketisation of the National Health Service (NHS) in England is having on staff and patient services. According to a recent survey by the Health Service Journal, 63% of hospital trusts have been forced to close wards as a result of financial shortages, a quarter have […]

Under Funding of Social Care

Conference believes that there is a great need for a review of the challenges and demands facing social care, and the resources that will be needed to deliver social care fit for the 21st century. Conference welcomes the current review by Sir Derek Wanless of social care for older people in England but regrets that […]

Protecting our Environment and maintaining our energy supplies

Conference notes with concern that the overwhelming consensus of scientific opinion and research is that global warming and climate change represent one of the greatest risks to life on our planet. Conference notes with regret and deep concern that the steps taken by the United Kingdom (UK) Government and the devolved administrations since 1997 to […]

Racist Attacks

Conference notes the disturbing increase in racist attacks in the last year, one appalling example of which was the racially motivated axe murder of the black teenager Anthony Walker in Liverpool. It is now 13 years since the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in London, which led to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and a drive […]