HIV has changed – Unionising against HIV Stigma

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) remains one of the most stigmatised long-term health conditions. Our members living with HIV often face stigma, discrimination, prejudice, bullying and harassment in the workplace, in healthcare settings, and in their daily lives. HIV stigma – negative attitudes and beliefs about people living with or affected […]

Hate Crime Equality

Conference is concerned that the current Hate Crime Laws are in disarray, and the recording of crimes that are ‘hate’ motivated is inconsistent. The manufactured culture wars have enabled malicious players to twist the rhetoric to make some groups ‘less deserving’ of protections than others. This has manifested via the latest College of Policing (CoP) […]

Disabled LGBT+ marginalisation in the LGBT+ community

Conference notes that Disabled LGBT+ people face a double burden: discrimination based on both their sexual orientation/gender identity and their disability. This marginalisation within the LGBT+ community happens in a few ways: a) Invisibility: The LGBT+ community often has experiences that are seen as more “typical,” which can exclude disabled people. Events might not be […]

Young Members Mental Health Matters!

Conference notes that mental health is consistently one of the most pressing issues cited by young workers when surveyed about their experiences of work. A 2022 survey of young UNISON members found that 80% of young workers had experienced a mental health problem in the last year. Similarly, in 2023 the Mental Health charity Unmind […]

Disability in the workplace – do employers go further than ticking a box?

There is no doubt that the workplace has progressed concerning employing staff with a disability, but there is still a lot of work required. We need to ask employers to assess their workplaces regularly. They need to look at policies, access, reasonable adjustments and attitudes in the workplace as a part of the overall work […]

Urgent reform of the Probation Service Job Evaluation Scheme

Conference, colleagues working for the Probation Service will be aware of the ongoing difficulties faced by staff when their roles become subject to job evaluation. Recent experience has made it all too clear to UNISON members that the employer clearly views this as a scheme owned by HMPPS rather than a shared agreement with the […]

Continuing the Legacy of UNISON’s ‘Year of’ Celebrations within the Police and Justice Service Group

West Midlands Region Motion to Police and Justice Conference 2024 Continuing the Legacy of UNISON’s ‘Year of’ Celebrations within the Police and Justice Service Group UNISON has a proud tradition of helping workers to fight for fairness and equality in the workplace and wider society. This tradition has been reinforced by UNISON’s decision to dedicate […]

TAX RELIEF FOR TRADE UNION SUBSCRIPTIONS

Conference, we have seen over recent years the restrictions, scrutiny and regulation placed on Police Staff has increased considerably bringing us even closer to the limitations placed on police officers. We are all aware that the needs of our members when faced with misconduct, performance, vetting and many other restrictive requirements put our members very […]

DO NOT LET THEM FALL BEHIND

This conference believes that all members in the Police & Justice Service Group are entitled to the best representation possible, particularly when it comes to achieving pay settlements. Our members in areas of the delivery of police services that have been outsourced, are still very much part of the police family. Many of the companies […]

Campaign for a fair funding formula

The way that this funding is calculated determines how much each police force receives, which in turn will determines how many police staff each force can afford to employ. In order for each force to meet its policing need, the funding model needs to be sufficient enough to provide each area with an acceptable level […]

Violence at work is a Police Staff issue

UNISON has quite rightly mounted a campaign against violence at work and introduced a violence at work charter. It is a campaign that is fully supported by Police Staff members. Violence at work involves any incident in which an employee is abused, threatened, or assaulted (either physically or verbally) in circumstances relating to their work. […]

WE ARE POLICE STAFF

Police Officers are not employees but servants of the Crown. Their conditions of service are governed by statute contained within Police Regulations, including those around conduct and pensions and updates from The Home Office. Police Officers are not allowed to be members of a Trade Union but may join The Police Federation (for ranks from […]

Impact of benefit cuts on disabled women

Conference is well aware that disabled workers are paid £3,700 less than non-disabled workers. But conference notes that disabled women are paid even less than disabled men. According to TUC analysis, disabled women face an even bigger pay gap of over £7,000 a year. The gap also increases as women age. Conference recognises that there […]

Workplace Sexual Harrassment

Workplace Sexual Harassment Numerous surveys run over the course of the pandemic have demonstrated an increase in workplace sexual harassment, with most experiences being online. Homeworking has left women workers unsafe and unprotected from sexual harassment at work. Current protections are clearly not enough. Women have experienced harassment on various online platforms and felt unable […]

Baby Loss Policies – The bare minimum should be a floor not a ceiling

Please note, in this context, when we refer to Women, the term encompasses women and pregnant people. Conference notes that there is currently a disparity around attendance management policies for pregnancy losses of less than 24 weeks gestation when compared to pregnancy related illness in an ongoing pregnancy. Our members can unfairly fall through the […]