Local Government Finance

Conference notes that reviews of Local Government Finance are taking place throughout the United Kingdom. Local Authorities need reliable income, solid financial structures and increased revenue in order to be able to deal with the new burdens placed on them by Central Government and are increasingly unable to maintain funding of core services. The present […]

Campaigning to defend the Local Government Pension Scheme

This Conference condemns the Government for its attempts to attack the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). This scheme offers hundreds of thousands of workers in local councils and in other related public services the chance of a decent pension in retirement This Conference notes with concern that, following consultations with UNISON and other interested parties […]

Local Government Pay Commission, Equality and Equal Pay

Conference notes the Local Government Pay Commission’s call for strong action by Government, councils and trade unions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to promote equality in local government, based on its view that “Equality in local government employment is a necessity not an option”. In particular Conference welcomes the Commission’s call for: 1)Guidance on […]

National Offender Management Service

Conference notes with alarm the Government’s hasty, ill-thought and misguided proposals to break up the National Probation Service and create the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). The proposals have received no proper parliamentary scrutiny and are being rushed through without due consultation, or the ability of unions or probation employers to affect the outcome of […]

Service Group Structures Review

This Conference approves the report of the Local government Service Group Executive on the Review of the Service Group Structures.

Local Government Service Group Executive Report

This Conference receives the report of the Local Government Service Group Executive.

Housing

Conference believes that the UK desperately needs investment in decent, affordable, secure and democratically accountable housing to provide first class homes for all that need them. Further deplores the failure of the UK’s respective governments to tackle the backlog of repairs to council homes. We now know that council housing in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland […]

Services for Children

Conference notes that, throughout the UK, services for children are under extreme pressure. In education, in social services, and in health care, despite the skills and dedication of hundreds of thousands of workers, the system is reaching breaking point and children and their families do not consistently receive the basic services required to ensure their […]

Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth and Community Workers

Conference notes that: Negotiations on the 2003 pay increase and restructuring of the JNC pay scales are still continuing. The employer’s negotiators and some elements of the staff side are remain resistant to UNISON’s recommendations that youth and community worker’s pay should be subject to equality proofing. Furthermore the majority of workers are part-time and […]

Violence in Social Care Field

Conference recognises that the vulnerability of children and adults with special needs or challenging behaviour is readily acknowledged by staff working in the social care field. However, Conference notes with concern both the increasing numbers of attacks on staff and also the increase in allegations of assault against staff and the lack of procedures and […]

TUPE

Conference recognises that the current TUPE regulations are flawed and are not effectively protecting our members who are transferred to other employers. Conference therefore calls on the Service Group Executive in conjunction with the General and Affiliated Political Funds to ensure that the TUPE regulations are amended to ensure that all employees who transfer to […]

Disparity Between Local Government Staff and Local Government School Based Staff

This Conference urges the Service Group Executive to enter into appropriate negotiations to put an end to the inequalities and unjust disparity between local government staff and local government school based staff. Such representation should seek the end of Local Management of Schools (LMS) and that staffing powers for schools be handed back to the […]

National Workload and Remodelling of the School Workforce Agreement

This Conference urges the Service Group Executive to campaign as strongly as it can for the adequate central government funding of the National Workload and Remodelling of the school Workforce Agreement. They believe that repeated failure to do so makes a mockery of its claims that it wants to create a new way of working […]

Continuous Service in Local Government

Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to negotiate on improvements in the current policies regarding leave conditions. At present any time served in Local Government employment is discounted if a person leaves the service. If at a later stage a person rejoins Local Government they have to start as a new employee. Our members […]

Direct Payments

We recognise the introduction of Direct Payments could have a significant impact on UNISON members employed in local authorities. Direct Payments are where social work departments are required to offer payment to allow for purchase of private services, as an alternative to direct services. This could involve loss of jobs, changes to terms and conditions […]