Black Activists Tackling Racism at Work

Black members are still facing an uphill battle in the workplace; they encounter barriers in career progression, daily oppression from organisations’ institutional racist cultures and are treated differently when raising grievances against employers which lead to the victimisation against many black members. There is a common theme that for too long employers have been able […]

BNP and Far Right

Conference notes with alarm that the support for the far right continues to grow and the British National Party (BNP) has increased its vote significantly in council elections, including Stoke-on-Trent, and the London Assembly over the past year and there is the very real threat one or more BNP candidates will be elected to the […]

Organising School Staff

Recruiting and organising school staff remains a major issue for this union. The proposed negotiating framework for schools in England and the changing working environment, resulting in increased roles and responsibilities for all staff in schools, highlight the need to improve the unions’ organisation in this area. Conference is aware that some branches have been […]

Supporting Social Care Staff

This Conference affirms UNISON’s respect and support for the dedicated members in Social Care who provide care to the most vulnerable people in our society and welcomes the moves towards registration of Home Carers. This union believes that often the media and politicians from all parties are too willing to lay the blame for our […]

Rarely Cover

This Conference notes with regret the latest advice from UNISON issued on 2 May 2009, around the issue of “Rarely Cover” in classrooms. This advice has been sent direct to schools and is already being used by headteachers to undermine existing pay and conditions of service. This Conference notes that in Kirklees the local WAMG […]

Climate Change

Conference notes that in the period since National Delegate Conference 2008 there have been significant developments in relation to climate change policy that will have far reaching consequences for the way in which we live our lives, the world of work and the public services. These include: 1)The passing into law of new climate change […]

Fuel Poverty

Fuel poverty is generally defined as when an individual or household spends at least 10% of their disposable income on fuel. Conference notes that The Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and the government’s Fuel Poverty Strategy require the government to end fuel poverty for vulnerable people by 2010 and to end fuel poverty […]

Palestine

Conference reiterates its belief that only when a sovereign, independent, democratic, contiguous and viable Palestine state is created, living side by side with a secure Israel will there be chance for peace and stability in the Middle East. Conference strongly believes that justice for the Palestinian people is essential to any solution to the existing […]

Economic Crisis and Public Services

As the economic crisis deepens, workers, their families and communities face unprecedented challenges. Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost, bringing unemployment to 3.1m based on International Labour Organisation (ILO) method of calculation. 75,000 home repossessions are expected in 2009, on top of 45,000 in 2008 Conference notes that for young members this will […]

Recession and the Rise of Intolerance and Discrimination

In times of economic recession the most vulnerable in society are at greatest risk. As the economic crisis deepens and its long term nature becomes evident there is the very real threat that inequality widens, the equalities agenda is sidelined and that women, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME), young workers, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) […]

Shared Services

Conference notes the enormous pressures on local authorities, and other public bodies, to make efficiency savings and their current tight financial predicament. Conference is concerned that some authorities are responding to this situation by knee-jerk privatisation to cut costs. This is counter-productive not only because it cuts public services at the time when they are […]

Opposition to Cuts in Public Service Employment

Conference notes that a reduction in public receipts, spending cuts and associated demands for “efficiency” savings, is resulting in redundancies and recruitment freezes across our public services. This is especially damaging during an economic recession resulting in rising job losses in the private sector and increasing demands placed upon public services. Public service workers are […]

Defending UNISON Members’ Pension Schemes

Conference recognises that just as negotiations on the national and Scottish Local Government Pensions Scheme (LGPS) draw to a close, and after NHS Colleagues have settled on their pension scheme, our pensions are again under attack. Comments from Tory politicians like, “pensions apartheid” and “gilt edged” and Liberal Democrat statements that our pensions are “unsustainable […]

Mileage Allowances

Conference recognises that many public service employers have now moved their staff on to the Approved Mileage Allowance (AMAP). This is a payment of 40p a mile for staff who use their own car for work. In some employers a buy out has been negotiated but in others it has been imposed. Many employers, particularly […]

Independent Safeguarding Authority

Conference notes that The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) is a new public body which is being created with the intention of preventing unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults. From October 2009, individuals working with vulnerable adults or children will be required to register with the ISA. This will affect over 11 million […]