Exploit modern communication systems

During the period of the pandemic many of us have grown used to attending meetings, talks and conferences via the internet using such intermediaries as Zoom. Whilst not matching the intimacy and desirability of a head-to-head meeting, they have allowed active if limited participation to continue. For some retired members the ageing process in its […]

Surprise, surprise! You will receive 25 whole pence age allowance each week when you reach your 80th birthday!

This age addition increase was introduced in September 1971 by Sir Keith Joseph, a Conservative MP. He said it was to recognise ‘albeit in a small way the special claims of very elderly people who need help rather more than others. As they grow old their possessions wear out and they need help for necessary […]

E-scooters and Older People

Conference is concerned over the increasing use of electric powered motorised 2-wheeled scooters (e-scooters) on roads and pavements throughout the United Kingdom. Conference notes that, although versions of e-scooters first appeared on London streets as long ago as 1916, It is only recently that steps are being taken to have them formally classified as motor […]

WOMEN’S PENSIONS UNDERPAYMENT

Conference notes that the Government announced earlier this year that there had been an underpayment of up to £3 billion in total of pensions for some who reached SPA before April 2016 and fall into certain categories. These sums affect thousands of women and some men who were underpaid their state pensions and not all […]

Recruiting, supporting and developing young activists across the Police and Justice service group

Conference notes that recruitment of young members continues to increase year on year, including in the police and justice sector, with over 27,000 new young members joining UNISON in 2020. Conference notes that young members continue, however, to be under-represented as UNISON stewards, representatives and officers. Conference believes that the full participation of young members […]

Police Staff Long Service Recognition

This motion calls upon the Service Group Executive to discuss with the appropriate relevant bodies a National Police Staff Long Service Award. Whilst we acknowledge that most, if not all forces will have their own long service award arrangements in place, a nationally recognised award is something that many police staff would like to see […]

Vetting Fairness in the Probation Service

Whilst Conference accepts that the re-unification of the majority of probation services as a positive step, this has not been the experience of all members. National Probation Service (NPS) members and now Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) members transferring to the new probation service are subject to an unaccountable, arbitrary and sometimes draconian vetting process which […]

Homeworking as a Reasonable Adjustment in Post-COVID Police and Justice Workplaces

Conference notes that many disabled staff in police and justice have previously requested to work from home as a reasonable adjustment and been refused. However COVID-19 has sparked a revolution in home working and as a union we need to build on the positives for disabled workers whilst also guarding against any detrimental impact. UNISON’s […]

Enhanced (Time Off In Lieu) TOIL Parity with Officers

Conference notes that police staff often work additional hours and not just on rest days. Often staff need to remain on duty to process prisoners, gather crime scene marks, speak with customers either on the phone or in front offices and many more reasons. Staff can currently only claim these additional hours worked as pay […]

Accessing Reasonable Adjustments During COVID-19

Conference notes that a UNISON survey of disabled members working from home during COVID-19, including Police and Justice workers, found that 53% did not receive any reasonable adjustments from their employer to help them to overcome the barriers they faced as a disabled person working from home. Only 5% had help from Access to Work, […]

100% Public Sector Probation Service

Whilst conference acknowledges the success of our long standing Keep Probation Public campaign, and are extremely pleased to see the reunification of the majority of the probation service back into the public sector domain. It is important to acknowledge the small but important minority of people that have been left in the private sector in […]

In Detention – Time for an Update

In 2010, research commissioned by UNISON and carried out by Incomes Data Services produced a detailed report that looked at the employment experiences of police detention officers in England and Wales and police custody and security officers (PCSO) in Scotland. The report identified the bargaining priorities for UNISON that represents members working in custody. The […]

Job Evaluation and Pay and Grading

Conference notes that it has been an ambition for UNISON to obtain a national job evaluation scheme and national pay and grading for police staff in England and Wales through negotiations over part 2 of the review of the Police Staff Council (PSC) Handbook. Conference believes that this may not be achievable due to a […]

Access to GP services

This conference notes with concern the findings of the survey carried out in December 2020 by the Birmingham UNISON Retired Members Section, that during the pandemic it has been increasingly difficult to access GP services. As the survey has indicated, there is a major problem with the more vulnerable elderly section of society – where […]

Officer Uplift Programme and the Impact on Police Staff

The Police and Justice Service Group and our communities were pleased to hear that the Government has started the programme to increase police officer numbers, however, the 20,000 new officers don’t replace the officers that were lost under Tory Government austerity cuts. The Government don’t appear to have recognised that there are several thousand police […]