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 […]
Conference motions
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Conference notes that – 1)Public service pension schemes pay pensions to widows of male scheme members in respect of contributions since 1972; 2)As a result of a Supreme Court decision in 2017, scheme members’ surviving same – sex spouses and civil partners, irrespective of gender, are now treated the same as widows; but 3)Widowers of […]
Conference notes that in 2018/19, the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) gender pension gap – the percentage difference in average gross pension income of women pensioners compared to men – stood at 40.3%. Conference also notes this was the second year running the gap had widened. An earlier trend of gradually diminishing pension inequality appears to have […]
This Conference notes that during a time of international pandemic, once more local government workers rose to the occasion alongside other key workers in the NHS, care, transport and retail to keep essential services running and to support lockdown policies that were the front line in reducing infections and allowing time for a vaccine to […]
Conference notes that local government used to be an equality trail-blazer in terms and conditions for staff and also in the quality, accessibility and inclusivity of local government service delivery. This, coupled with a strong public service ethos, has contributed over the years to high numbers of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender plus (LGBT+) workers, […]
Conference acknowledges that even before Covid-19, equality was increasingly being seen as a luxury in many local government workplaces, with many employers barely abiding by the law. We must live up to our proud history and negotiate for LGBT+ equality to be included in all local government policies, practices and agreements. Conference recognises that local […]
Conference notes that many disabled staff in local government 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 National […]
Conference notes that a UNISON survey of disabled members working from home during Covid-19, including local government 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, the […]
UNISON Cymru/Wales supports the principle of a �Fair Work Nation�. As the largest trade union in Wales, we speak on behalf of around 100,000 members and their families and work with 49 affiliated unions through the Wales TUC. We strongly support the aims of Welsh government�s Draft Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill which […]
Conference notes that older people make up a growing proportion of the population, and so make an increasing contribution to society. They are our members, volunteers, taxpayers and carers. They have also been the most at risk during the Covid-19 pandemic, sometimes risking their own health to deliver urgent public services. Over recent decades there […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted what�s best about local government and its workforce. Always there ready to support our communities 365 days of the year, especially during times of national crisis. It�s the same workforce who have had endure over ten years of austerity, cuts to pay and terms & conditions, but when called upon […]