Conference motions

Black disabled people have faced, and continue to face, marginalisation within our society. We need to take action to address Black disabled members specific needs, allowing our voices to be heard and for us not to be left behind; we need to call out existing inequality. Despite progress in promoting diversity and inclusion, Black disabled […]

Conference notes that UNISON was one of the founder members of the Disability Employment Charter which: a) Sets out nine demands of government, including a two-week deadline for responses to reasonable adjustment requests b) Has been signed by over 180 employers in the public, private and community sectors, disproving the Tory lie that disability rights […]

Government initiatives must deliver support within a reasonable time limit and Disabled people should not experience delays in obtaining identified support required in work as part of their reasonable adjustments. In 2019 Disability and employment statistics (Office of National Statistics) show that over 4.2 million disabled people were employment in the UK. While this figure […]

This UNISON Disabled Members Conference believes that it is about time all disabilities, visible and hidden disabilities, are recognised and treated by society as equal. Created in 1968 by a design student called Susanne Koefoed through a design competition by Rehabilitation International and adopted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Symbol of […]

At a time where there are over 14 million disabled people in the United Kingdom, and with the impact of recent events increasing these numbers due to long Covid, it is time conference for us to challenge the perception of disability being seen as a bad word. For many non-disabled people there is often the […]

Conference, over the past 10 years Unison has worked hard to push the agenda of a real living wage, challenging parity in pay by gender, ethnicity, and disability. The pay gaps in the UK are continuing to grow further and further apart. The covid pandemic has had an impact on this and is used as […]

Conference notes that, for many UNISON disabled members, barriers still exist in the workplace, making it as difficult as ever to sustain their employment. In spite of legislation in the form of the Equality Act and Public Sector Equality Duty, and despite the pioneering efforts of the 30+ signatory bodies to the first Disability Employment […]

Long Covid, a condition that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, remains a poorly understood medical issue, even among clinicians. The severity of initial symptoms does not necessarily predict the likelihood of developing Long Covid, with individuals experiencing mild initial symptoms still at risk for long-term complications. Recovery from Long Covid varies greatly among individuals, with […]

Conference we are becoming more aware of the barriers faced by members with neurodiverse conditions that may be hidden and we note the great work done by Unison to raise issues around this with members and employers. There are many hidden disorders that may affect our members health and wellbeing such as eating disorders, type […]

Conference, assisted dying is an emotive and complex issue which people hold differing and strong views about. The issue can be polarising. But what is meant by assisted dying is often unclear. Is it do not resuscitate (DNR)? Withdrawal of treatment? Assisted suicide? Or, voluntary euthanasia? Common arguments against assisted dying are based on appealing […]