Domestic Abuse – a trade union and workplace issue

Conference notes that Domestic Abuse is a workplace issue – with 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men reporting domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime. Conference notes domestic abuse is estimated to cost workplaces national £1.9 billion per year. Conference notes that domestic abuse can have a highly negative impact on […]

Young Worker’s role in Greening Public Services post COP26

Conference notes that in the wake of the final session of COP26 on Nov 12th which occurred after the closing date for motions to this conference, our world still faces a challenge bigger than anything we have ever encountered before. Conference notes that the watered-down deal made at COP26 does not go far enough and […]

Young workers and quality job: development and progression

Conference notes the shocking figures reported in April 2021 showing that of those who lost their jobs during the pandemic, almost 80% were aged under 35. Conference further notes the July 2020 study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) which found that “the COVID-19 pandemic has severely dented the career prospects of young people […]

A Focus on Apprentices

In 2019/20, there were 719,000 people participating in an apprenticeship in England, with 322,500 apprenticeship starts and 146,900 apprenticeship achievements. The NHS alone currently has 14,000 apprentices. In spite of these high numbers, union membership amongst apprentices remains very low There is often a great misunderstanding of apprentices. A common assumption is that apprentices are […]

Right to Disconnect: The Negative Impact of Remote Digital Work on Young Members’ Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This Conference denounces the negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on young workers’ wellbeing and work/life balance, specifically with regard to the Right to Disconnect. This Conference notes that the Right to Disconnect is the ability to not engage in work-related electronic communications such as e-mails or messages during non-work hours. The Conference […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]