Lack of Publicity for Retired Members

Since Interactive ceased production very little information of direct relevance to retired members has been made available by UNISON to individual members. U-magazine has mentioned retired members only in passing on the letters page. It was suggested that an on-line version of Interactive might be produced but so far this has not happened and the […]

ETHICAL CARE

Conference recognises that with an ageing population, older people will increasingly need quality home care services. Therefore it is vital to improve the UK’s homecare system for the people who receive it and the workers who provide it. However, a survey commissioned by UNISON into the current state of homecare illustrated the many failings of […]

Retaining Members When They Retire

Conference recalls the resolution (motion 27 as amended) of the 2011 Retired Members’ Conference which noted the efforts of many branches and branch retired members’ groups to retain members when they retire but regretted the apparent lack of support, co-ordination and reporting to sustain these efforts. The resolution instructed the National Retired Members’ Committee (NRMC), […]

FRIENDS OF THE NPC

The National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) was founded in 1979 by Jack Jones, former General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers’ Union because he was aware that there was no single organisation which represented and campaigned on behalf of pensioners. Although some trade unions had retired members’ sections, and there were various pensioner organisations and […]

Living Wage

Conference recognises the success of the campaigns to achieve the Living Wage in councils and notes that the pay offer from the Scottish employers for 2013 included a Living Wage for all 32 councils in Scotland of a Living wage of at least £7.50. Conference notes however that not all councils have agreed to pay […]

Local Government Funding Cuts

Conference is alarmed that many Councils have faced unprecedented reductions in Government grants since the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review. Since then, the position has deteriorated for local government with many councils now forecasting that central Government support over the six year period 2011-2017 will see reductions in excess of £100m. The December 2012 Autumn Statement […]

Fighting Cuts and Privatisation – Highlighting ‘The Damage’ to our Communities and the Economy

Conference deplores the scale of the austerity cuts and the damage they are wreaking on local services and our members who work in them. Despite the high profile failures of privatised services, councils continue to outsource services to private sector organisations – either through ideology or because they believe the bogus claims that the private […]

Modern Apprentices in Local Government

This Conference notes that the recession is impacting on jobs in the public sector: full time permanent jobs are disappearing at an alarming rate as Councils and other public sector agencies deal with the impact of reducing budgets. Support is confirmed for UNISON policies aimed at resisting attacks on our members’ jobs, pay and service […]

Analysis of Local Authority Budgets

Conference notes: 1)The impact of savage spending cuts in Local Government 2)The ongoing attacks on council services and the most vulnerable in our society by the Conservative led Government 3)The importance of UNISON fighting these cuts both locally and nationally 4)The importance of local branch knowledge in understanding the financial and budget setting decisions made […]

Registration fees

Conferences notes with concern the Francis Review’s recommendation that more health staff become registered with registrant bodies and is concerned that members who are suffering from the third year of a pay freeze could face an additional cost of registration fees. Conference therefore calls on the National Service Group Executive to mount a campaign for […]

Regional Race Action Plans

Conference notes that each UNISON Region has its own Regional Race Action Plan. The purpose of this is to keep aspects of each region’s race issues, at the forefront of UNISON’s structures, to affect change, increase participation from members and be a beacon to attract other people to join and remain with UNISON. After making […]

Black Members Representation at UNISON Conferences

Conference is concerned about the lack of visibility and representation of Black members at the National Delegate Conference and Service Group Conferences. Each year delegates and visitors are required to complete the proportionality and fair representation forms at conference. However, the information does not appear to filter down to regions and branches with regards to […]

Fighting the Far Right

Conference recognises that times of austerity prove a fertile breeding ground for far right rhetoric and feelings. High unemployment and rising costs creates opportunities for the far right to scapegoat minority groups. The rise of the English Defence League and her sister organisations, the Scottish and Welsh Defence Leagues (SDL and WDL) is disheartening and […]

The Black Experience – UNISON’s Freedom of Information

UNISON’s initial freedom of information exercise conducted in London in 2012 revealed that a significant number of local authorities were shedding hundreds of thousands of jobs across the Capital which was having a disproportionate effect on Black workers. In seventeen of the Capital’s councils, Black workers were unfairly bearing the brunt of the cuts, and […]

Black Self Organisation – Organising for the Future

In a time of significant change and massive upheaval in the public sector never has it been more important for Black members and workers to be organising for the future. With the continued review of self-organisation and the interim report attached to the National Delegates report submitted in 2012, it was agreed that the work […]