Conference notes that the Labour government has continued the Police Uplift Programme which has led to the continued surge in officer recruitment with significant investment and political focus. However, this officer focused approach has come at the expense of Police Staff. The uplift has placed unsustainable pressure on overall policing budgets, leading to Police staffing […]
Conference motions
One HMPPS – unless its pay, then it’s not. Earlier this year the Probation Service rolled out its shiny new Bail Information Service. As part of this, they developed the role of Bail Information Officer. The Probation Service failed to consult with the Trade Unions on this matter and subsequently lost a Trade Dispute brought […]
Conference recognises that low pay remains a persistent problem in both the Police Service in England and Wales and in the Probation Service in England and Wales. In both services, UNISON members on the lowest pay find themselves earning less than they could earn working for supermarkets. The Living Wage Foundation confirms that low paid […]
Conference is aware that there are almost 90,000 police staff employed by UK Police Forces, and police staff are predominantly female (62.7 percent). Conference is also aware that while the gender breakdown of officer ranks by gender is tracked, this is not the same for police staff but it must be acknowledged that if female […]
Being a branch officer and being able to support your colleagues is undoubtedly a privileged position and one that can be extremely rewarding. However, anecdotally we hear that many branch officers, particularly workplace stewards and branch secretaries are suffering from burn out. Workloads are high but not measured or capped, casework is complex and often […]
Conferences notes: 1)Public services have been left to crumble. Tens of billions of pounds of funding shortfalls for NHS, education, housing and local authorities exacerbate the enormous detrimental impact of years of underinvestment and privatisation of key services; 2)All of these services have been significantly worsened as a result and many are on the brink […]
Conference notes the damage to public services caused by 14 years of austerity and Tory Government. Local government, the NHS, education, social care and police and justice have all been starved of the funding and investment they need to serve our communities. School and hospital buildings have been left to crumble. Jobs have been lost. […]
Industrial disputes – better and stronger in UNISON! Context: 1)The Labour government’s Employment Rights Bill means strike laws are set to change dramatically, lifting the restrictions that have stifled industrial action and, since 2016, have prevented some UNISON disputes progressing beyond ballot stage. 2)The union must use these changes in strike laws to deliver not […]
UNISON stewards have observed an increase in casework involving members with a wide range of neurodiverse conditions. Many stewards lack the necessary education and understanding of the challenges faced by our growing number of neurodiverse members. Without proper knowledge and training in this area, many stewards feel ill-equipped to effectively support our members in matters […]
Conference believes that customer facing workers are a vital lifeline for customers both in the field and the call-centres. However, with the high cost of living, customers are concerned about being able to afford bills and our members who work in customer facing roles can bear the brunt of this both on the phones and […]
Conference notes that artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems are being rapidly deployed across UK public services. Conference recognises that AI and automation offer significant opportunities to transform public services. These technologies could help address many longstanding challenges by streamlining administrative processes, providing better data insights for decision-making, and freeing up worker time to focus […]
Securing Parliament’s Consent to UNISON’S Water Report – ‘Clean water – A case for public ownership’
Conference is only too aware of the national disgrace that is our water industry. Whether this be the pollutions into our waterways or the way they are funded and run. That is why the excellent report, ‘Clean water: A case for public ownership’, was welcomed. This report exposes the exact state of the industry and […]
Conference notes that due to the impact of climate change, we are seeing more and more extreme weather. This impacts throughout the year and manifests itself in severe flooding, droughts, gales and snow and ice. This has a direct impact on our members within our WET service group. Water industry workers often bear the brunt […]
Conference is concerned on the over-reliance on external contractors and consultants to carry out routine day-to-day work for employers in the WET service group. This uneconomical practice often comes at a great financial cost when at the same time bosses are ‘crying the poor tale’ when it comes to fairly rewarding our members for the […]
WET Conference is acutely aware that neurodivergent issues are becoming more commonplace in branches covered by the WET SGE. We are now seeing a much greater reliance on technology in operations and contact centre environments. Whilst this is seen as a relatively new condition “experts” in this field are commonplace and the WETSGE is encouraged […]