General Election

“This Energy conference notes that following the closing date for motion submissions a general election was called for the 8th June. Subsequently political parties have during the hustings and manifesto launches made numerous comments about the failings in the energy market and the need to directly intervene to protect consumers or bring elements of the […]

Workplace domestic abuse policies

Conference notes that following on from a women’s conference decision in 1998, a model domestic abuse workplace policy and accompanying guidance were produced. It is the intention that all UNISON workplaces have such a policy in existence, and many have been negotiated in the public sector. However, they are still not commonplace in the private […]

Call Centre Charter – how far have we come?

Conference notes the increasing numbers of our energy members working in call centres. Call centres can leave workers chained to their workstations under extreme pressure to provide faster responses to more and more callers. Conference welcomes UNISON’s Call Centre Charter, launched in 2012, to seek to establish a decency agenda for these members, allowing them […]

Supporting our Supporters

As the Energy Industry has changed from the “glory’’ days of privatisation to the very complicated structures we now have to organise within so too has the range of problems affecting our members and representatives. The Energy Sector has faced major changes including the splitting off of the distribution businesses, company mergers, business diversification, the […]

Activist Learning and Development within Energy

Many lay activists have benefited over the years from specific utility linked training courses supported by UNISON’s learning and Organising team. The most well known is the Negotiating Skills course for workers in a Utility setting. We have also had the opportunity in the past two years to do a specific pay bargaining course for […]

Safe Driving

Many UNISON members working in Energy will be familiar with various safe driving initiatives introduced by energy employers. This development will include not just broad awareness of the hazards of driving but also tracking devices which can monitor speed, braking distances, erratic driving etc. Although UNISON would support common sense approaches to ensure we all […]

Hydrogen Gas

Conference notes that UNISON is the largest staff union in the UK gas industry and has a proud heritage of supporting Gas members going back to local municipal gas corporations. Conference further notes that UNISON has members working right across the industrial spectrum from qualified engineers, scientists, finance, managerial, customer contact, emergency response, shipping terminals. […]

Energy Conference and Energy Branch Seminar

Conference notes the importance of the two main events in the Energy Service Group year – namely our Annual Conference and our Annual Branch Seminar. Both of these events are occasions of interaction and learning for our activists and also an occasion to recharge the batteries of our enthusiasm. However, it has been noticeable over […]

Securing Black LGBT perspectives and participation

Conference welcomes the wealth of policy, good practice, advice and resources that we have built up over the past decades of equality organising. These include much policy and good practice in organising, bargaining and campaigning on Black LGBT equality. However, conference notes the continuing challenge of disseminating information and resources, leading to knowledge gaps and […]

Standing together for equality

Conference notes that UNISON was founded on the principles of solidarity and equality. These principles are vital for our union and also vital for a strong society where all can thrive. Conference is concerned about the voice and validation given to division and scapegoating in campaigning around the European Union (EU) referendum. The debate paid […]

Access to Immigration Advice and Representation

For Black members who are not fully settled in the UK or do not have British Citizenship, immigration is a major issue. Immigration rules come and go and change overnight (as our European migrant worker colleagues are finding out!). A change in a shortage occupation list; a new salary threshold; a new English test requirement […]

Why Sickle Cell matters

This conference believes that Sickle Cell disease is the most prevalent blood disease that affects the Black community. Figures from The Sickle Cell Society show 1 in 10 black people are affected by this blood disorder. Insufficient funding is allocated to research into this disease and as a result an inequality exists which impacts on […]

Stop and search of Black people

Conference notes that the subject of stop and search has been debated on many occasions, but nothing has changed. People of African heritage are six times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police in England and Wales under Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and 29 times as […]

All Black women shortlists

Conference notes that recent research has confirmed that all women shortlists (AWS) are an effective means of reducing barriers for women to stand as candidates in elections, and that women elected in this way are diligent and active MPs, who contribute to positive democratic outcomes and help to foster diversity in decision making. Conference further […]

Recruiting and organising Black members in the fragmented workforce

It is important that Black workers and members are equipped for the challenges within the changing and evolving landscape of the UK today. Conference recognises that a high proportion of Black workers eligible to join UNISON work in the “fragmented workforce” where they experience low pay and poor working conditions. Conference believes that recruitment is […]