Communicate, Communicate, Recruit

Conference, when gathering UNISON leaflets, information and publications for a disabled members event or stand, looking through UNISON publications there is little or none. We are asking the National Disabled Members Committee to look at producing bespoke materials related to Disabled Members issues to be able to use at all levels of the union for […]

Overcoming the Barriers

Conference, Disabled workers often have to overcome more barriers to be able to manage daily life and to hold down a job. The Coalition Government has taken away our support mechanisms to be able maintain and manage ‘normal day to day activities’ including employment. Conference, we instruct that in 2015 the National Disabled Members Committee […]

Disability Hate Crimes

Conference condemns the continuing rise in hate crimes against disabled people in Northern Ireland. In 2011 more than 2,000 such offences were recorded here – up a third on 2010. Research by shows that nine out of 10 people with a learning disability had been a victim. Victims of disability hate crime continue to be […]

Black People and Mental Health

Conference notes with concern the findings of the 2005 “Count Me In” census in England and the following censuses that people from Black Caribbean, Black African and other Black backgrounds are over represented in psychiatric care. Indeed, in May 2013, Health Minister Norman Lamb said in the House of Commons that “something [was] wrong” with […]

Equality Facility Time for Disabled Members

At the Discrimination Law Conference in January 2014 Professor Sir Bob Hepple QC said that “if a new government enacts only one new piece of equality legislation it should be to require equality representatives at workplaces” – such reps would require a legal right to time off to “be involved in drawing up and enforcing […]

Disability Related Absence

At Conference just last year UNISON attacked the government’s obsession with sickness rates, after figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that days lost due to sickness absence fell from 178 million in 1993 to 131 million in 2013. The figures also showed that the differences in absence rates between the public […]

AFTER 2015 – DISABLED MEMBERS AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

Conference notes that according to the 2011 World Report on Disability published by the World Health Organisation and World Bank there are an estimated one billion disabled people globally. Disabled people face barriers to participation in society, such as in accessing development programmes and funds, education, employment, health care, communication and transport. Disabled people and […]

MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES FOR LGBT PEOPLE

One in four people experience mental health issues at some point in their lives, but there is still a lot of stigma associated with mental health impairments, making many people unwilling to disclose mental health issues in the workplace. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people still face high levels of bullying and harassment and […]

Celebrating Equality in Energy Workplaces

Conference notes that workplace equality issues are often portrayed as difficult to handle, a minority interest and all about discrimination and prejudice. Conference believes that equality is not a problem but rather is something to celebrate in our energy workplaces. By celebrating equality and celebrating diversity we can help end the invisibility, isolation and marginalisation […]

Tackling Stress in Energy Workplaces

Conference welcomes the work done over many years by UNISON negotiators and reps in energy to highlight and tackle workplace stress. Conference is concerned that the current climate, with persistent threat to jobs, is placing particular stresses on energy members. There is micro-management, ever more pressure to meet targets, with fewer staff expected to get […]

Storms of Protest

As 2013 drew to an end, many homes and businesses in the United Kingdom were affected by severe weather disruptions on unprecedented scales. Many domestic residences were without power at the most inconvenient time of the year with Christmas fast approaching and further severe weather warnings imminent. Most distribution network organisations were able to plan […]

Support for Local Government Pension Fund Board Members

Conference fully supports the Unison campaign for transparency and better governance with regard to Local Authority Pension boards. It also supports the encouragement of Unison members to become Member Nominated Representatives (MNRs) on those boards. The performance of Pension funds are currently under review. Members of Local Government Pension Funds need a voice on these […]

School Support Staff deserve our support

Conference we acknowledge the success of the national celebration of teaching and classroom assistants, held on 29 November 2013. The day of celebration promoted the work teaching assistants (TAs) and classroom assistants do and the incalculable benefits they bring to pupils across the country. It is a glowing recognition of the high esteem that TAs […]

Fighting Cuts and Redundancies in Local Government

Conference deplores the continuing cuts to local government resulting in mass redundancies and cuts to all Council Services. No Council Service is safe from the threats of cuts in funding. The workforce faces mass redundancies, and for those who retain a job within the employer there is an onslaught of attacks on terms and conditions. […]

Contractual Rights

Conference views with alarm the increasing undermining of the employment law framework protecting members across the Service Group. Over half a million workers in local government and schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland alone earn below the Living Wage and many of these are employed on contracts with very few protected rights. We have […]