Stop First Homes Proposals

Conference notes the government consultation which opened on the 7th February 2020 over the new First Homes housing policy. This proposal seeks to divert section 106 funds away from the provision of affordable homes and instead use it to offer discounts on new properties for purchase in England. Conference notes that opposition to these proposals […]

Promoting the EU Settlement Scheme to Community members

Conference notes the outcome of the General Election on December 12th 2019 which resulted in the re-election of a Conservative government. The �Skills for Care� workforce development charity that operates as a delivery partner for the Department of Health and Social Care estimates that there; 1. are 1.52 million social care jobs within local authorities, […]

GENDER PAY GAP

2020 is the 50th Anniversary of the introduction of The Equal Pay ActConference celebrates the successes of UNISON in using the legislation to achieve equal pay for large numbers of its low paid women members, in particular those in local government. Conference welcomes that in 2017 the Government introduced compulsory gender pay gap reporting for […]

National standards for social care � protecting disabled workers

Conference notes that many of our community members work in social care where they provide care services to older and disabled people. This includes members employed as personal assistants (PAs) via personal payments budgets. Additionally, some of our disabled members in Community are also recipients of social care which allows them to overcome barriers they […]

Community employers, Accessibility Passports and Access to Work

Conference notes that although disabled workers are legally entitled to reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, some community employers continue to delay or seek to avoid implementing reasonable adjustments. In particular, adjustments agreed with one manager may disappear when staff move teams or change managers. Many members in community are also unaware that Access […]

Recruiting and organising Black members in the fragmented workforce

The National Black Members Committee welcomes the work that the Community Service Group Executive has been doing over the past year in building and strengthening Black community links. The development of racism within the workplace survey will help explore effective ways of dealing with race discrimination in the workplace going forward. We thank conference for […]

Recruitment and organising: Building community links

Recruitment and organising: Building community links Conference notes that Citizens UK has built diverse civil society alliances in London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Cymru/Wales, Tyne and Wear and Leeds, building coalitions between trade unions, faith communities, statutory and community organisations in order to both enhance capacity and to take forward common objectives benefitting […]

Workplace support for mothers with premature or sick babies

The birth of a child is usually a very special time, but unfortunately, it can be testing if the baby is born prematurely or with complex health needs. In the UK, roughly 60,000 babies are born prematurely (before the 37th week of pregnancy) or sick every year. When a baby is born prematurely or is […]

Re-Inspiring Women

Women in the trade union movement have always played a significant role in social movements and social change. We can be proud of the role that Trade Union women played in achieving the Scottish Parliament and the 50/50 campaign amongst others. In the same way, the women of the Trade Union movement, played a major […]

Bring Parity to Shared Parental Leave

This conference welcomes the introduction of Shared Parental Leave in 2015, allowing both parents to have some flexibility in the care and bonding with their child in the first crucial months after birth. UNISON shared the view of many women�s rights organisations at the time, that in order to inject speed into achieving women�s equality, […]

Breastfeeding and lactation facilities in the workplace

NHS advice is that breastfeeding has long-term benefits for babies and mothers, lasting right into adulthood. Any amount of breast milk has a positive effect. The longer a baby is breastfed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefits. Breastfeeding reduces a baby’s risk of:;infections, with fewer visits to hospital as a result […]

Impact of Domestic Abuse on Workers

Conference notes that the impact of domestic abuse is far ranging and will and does inevitably affect workers, colleagues, families and friends.It is important that domestic abuse isn�t ignored or misunderstood within the workplace. We welcome the fact that UNISON recognises that domestic abuse is a trade union issue; has developed information and guidance and […]

THE IMPACT OF WELFARE CUTS ON WOMEN

From late 2008, the UK Government set out a programme of austerity that has continued for over 10 years. Cuts in public spending have been shown to have particular impact on certain groups in society. In 2011, 270,000 public sector jobs were cut as austerity measures started to bite. Research from the Runnymede Trust and […]

BREXIT AND THE IMPACT ON WOMEN IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Women in Northern Ireland are greatly under-represented in public and political life. This was clearly evident in the lead up to the Brexit referendum and remains a worrying issue in the current Brexit negotiations. Under-representation in political negotiations and decision-making, alongside several other areas lacking in gender parity such as access to education, training, work, […]

Time off for dependants (TOFD) and special leave � a woman’s burden

From birth society has always set the role of women at home and in the workplace. While this has been challenged and continues to be, there is still a long way to go. Society still sees women as the main care giver and this may be why some types of leave that is predominately utilised […]