LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER MEMBERS – STRONGER TOGETHER

Conference celebrates the formation of UNISON’s new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Self-Organised Group. Conference congratulates the National LGBT Committee, and all Regional and Branch Activists, on the success of our campaign. Conference applauds the huge effort involved in realising this goal, and thanks all participants for their thorough and professional work and support on […]

TRADES UNION CONGRESS GENERAL COUNCIL

Conference considers it to be a fundamental characteristic of trades unionism that workers choose their own delegates from among themselves and the delegates be accountable to the bodies that elected them. Within UNISON, proportionality, fair representation and self-organisation have developed this characteristic further than in most unions. Conference therefore welcomes how the Trades Union Congress’s […]

LOCAL AUTHORITY IMPLEMENTATION OF CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS

Conference celebrates the fact that the Civil Partnership Act 2004 will be brought into force on 5th December 2005. For the first time same-sex couples will be able to make a formal, legal commitment to each other. Conference, however, takes note of some Local Authorities who, whilst willing to carry out registrar/registry office ceremonies for […]

ADOPTION LAWS

Conference notes the fact that the law on adoption by same sex couples adopting has been changed in England and Wales and congratulates the Scottish Executive on it’s review of adoption law in Scotland and its proposals to allow same sex couples to adopt children and to allow same sex step parent adoption. The proposals […]

MONITORING OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY BY EMPLOYERS

Conference welcomes the growing recognition of the need to combat discrimination against LGBT workers and the agreements reached with some employers to integrate work towards LGBT equality into their equality programmes. Conference notes that the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 introduced a requirement on public authorities to monitor workers’ ethnicity, as part of the statutory […]

AMENDMENT TO STANDING ORDER 2.7

In SO2.7, delete “one lesbian and one gay man” and replace with “at least one of whom shall be a woman”.

AMENDMENT TO STANDING ORDERS

Delete the phrase “Lesbian and Gay” wherever it appears and substitute the phrase “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender”.

BLOOD DONORS

This conference notes that the purpose of the blood services in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is to provide a safe and adequate supply of blood. Screening of blood donors for HIV is necessary for the safety of the blood supply because the available tests for screening donated blood for HIV are not infallible, […]

GAY AND LESBIAN HUMANIST ASSOCIATION

Conference is deeply disturbed by the Autumn edition of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) magazine, which contains a number of statements which can be interpreted as Islamophobic and racist. The headline on the front cover was “The sick face of Islam”. One article demonised immigrants stating: `our major towns and cities being for […]

EQUALITY BILL – THE NEED TO CAMPAIGN FOR INCLUSIVE PROVISIONS COVERING DISCRIMINATION IN GOODS, FACILITIES AND SERVICES

Conference welcomes the news that the Equality Bill was passed in the House of Lords on 9 November 2005 and that it allows the government to bring forward regulations to outlaw discrimination in the provision of goods and services for LGB people as well as outlawing discrimination in goods, facilities and services on the grounds […]

ACCESS TO CONFERENCE AGENDA PAPERS ON UNISON WEBSITE

Conference expresses its concern at the late publication of the Preliminary Agenda for our Conference this year. Conference believes that having the preliminary agenda available for regional and branch group meetings is helpful in allowing democratic decision making and the submission of amendments etc. Conference further notes that a decision has also been taken that […]

TRANSGENDER EQUALITY AND PRESSURE TO DIVORCE

Conference notes that transgender members can experience disproportionate pressures when they develop their transition if they are married people. For members to be able to obtain a full Gender Recognition Certificate and consequently a birth certificate that recognises them in their chosen gender, they are placed under considerable pressure in the requirement to take part […]

ONGOING CAMPAIGN FOR BLOOD DONATION AND A WIDER CAMPAIGN ON ORGAN DONATION

Conference congratulates the National Delegate Conference in its determination to enable LGBT members in UNISON to be organised in the union in regional LGBT groups. Conference notes the work undertaken by the National LGBT Committee, so far in relation to how blood donation operates and its impact upon mainly gay potential donors who are unable […]

CHARTER FOR CHANGE FOR LGBT EQUALITY – IN EMPLOYMENT, IN HEALTH, IN PROVISION OF GOODS AND SERVICES

Conference notes that gender identity and sexuality are core issues for the individual person. The invalidation by society of LGBT peoples’ core identities can be traumatising. LGBT people can experience layers of discrimination – with a higher incidents rate of anxiety, stress or depressive disorders. Conference notes that LGBT people experience discrimination as service users […]

ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL TV SWITCHOVER

The current proposals by the government and broadcasting agencies will see the ending of all analogue broadcasting in this country between 2006 and 2010 – digital TV will be imposed upon the whole population by 2012 at the latest. There is considerable concern that this may leave many elderly retired persons either with poor services […]