Funding for Charities and the “National Living Wage”

Conference notes that in his 2015 Budget announcement the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced that the establishment of a “National Living Wage” for workers over the age of 25. The rate for this wage was established at £7.20 an hour from April 2016, rising to £9 an hour by 2020. Conference disputes […]

STRATEGY FOR ORGANISING AND DEVELOPING OUR WORK

Conference notes the work undertaken by the Service Group Executive and in particular the Community Service Group in Scotland prior to the passing of 2016 National Delegate Conference Motion 2 ‘Organising for growth’. The preliminary work carried out by the Community Service Group in Scotland included a brief outline of regional Community structures and précis […]

Where next with the Housing crisis for women?

This generation is facing a housing crisis that is supporting ‘generation rent’ and the ‘boomerang’ generation. The majority of young women, the low paid, and those on a fixed income (including disabled and/or retired women) are struggling to find acceptable and affordable housing as private rental costs continue to rise. Between 2014 – 15 (Guardian […]

Women and the cuts – strategies for local campaigning

Research continues to show that the significant disproportionate negative impacts of the government’s austerity policies fall on women, particularly Black women and women who are low paid and/or from low income households (in which women dominate) despite government claims that the burden would be shared equally. Women are the primary carers for children and the […]

Gender wage gap widens for women with children

A report published by the Institute of Fiscal Studies into the gender wage gap has found that women experience a gradual but continual rise in the gap once they have their first child. The study also found, on average, that the hourly wages of female employees are currently about 18 per cent lower than men’s. […]

safe travel

Safe travel for women Conference will be aware that there has been some discussion regarding safe travel for women in the past year, in particular there have been concerns about the removal of train guards on some journeys placing females at an increased risk of unwanted attention and in more serious cases physical and sexual […]

Proportionality

UNISON was formed in 1993 and at that time, proportionality was a radical and hotly contested inclusion within the rule book. UNISON rules state: 2.12.2 “Proportionality” is the representation of women and men in fair proportion to the relevant number of female and male members comprising the electorate. UNISON women’s membership is currently at 77% […]