The racist riots across Britain over the summer were a low point in our country’s history. However, the counter protests and community actions that followed highlighted how we can see off the divisive threat of the far right by organising and standing together. The solidarity shown by these communities echoed the words of the murdered […]
Conference motions
Those in attendance this year’s National Delegates Conference will have witnessed, first hand, the unwelcoming and inappropriate behaviour being displayed towards our delegates and members from within the Police, Probation and CAFCASS sector. From the very start of the conference, it was made clear by the President that a controversial phrase, deemed by the Home […]
This Conference acknowledges the ongoing discussions on inequalities, health disparities, and the resulting reduction in both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy faced by many marginalised groups, including our LGBT+, Black, and disabled members. These disparities are deeply rooted in the social determinants of health — factors such as income inequality, discrimination, housing conditions, and […]
Conference notes that the year of LGBT+ workers finished at at the end of 2024. This year followed the years of young members, disabled members and in 2023 the year of Black workers. In a union of 1 million women workers, we have seen how intersectionality is woven into our very fabric and is throughout […]
Conference knows that we have debated issues in relation to LGBT+ health and wellbeing on many occasions, including mental health, access to services, and training of healthcare workers on LGBT+ issues to name but a few. But sitting behind all of the disparities and health inequalities of our LGBT+ members are the fundamental social determinants […]
Conference notes the funding crises in Local Authorities across the UK which is having a detrimental impact on the lives of everyone across the UK and in particular having a greater impact on our LGBT+ members and communities. Conference also notes that in times like this of austerity, LGBT+ services have at times been the […]
Conference notes the continued occupation and recent bombardment of Palestine by the Israeli government which has killed over 30,000 Palestinians and left over a million displaced from their homes. Conference welcomes UNISON’s continued support for a viable, independent, democratic and contiguous Palestinian state, alongside Israel, where both states live side by side within secure and […]
Conference notes: SisterSong defines reproductive justice as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. LGBT+ people experience particular barriers to reproductive justice. For example: 1)Unequal access to assisted conception for LGBT+ people 2)Lack of access to funded fertility […]
The ongoing crisis in Palestine has brought significant hardship and suffering to its population. The crisis requires a comprehensive and inclusive response that addresses the needs of all vulnerable populations, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans plus (LGBT+) people. By working with our international comrades we hope that this can be achieved by fostering a more […]
In UNISON we use the term bisexual plus (bi+) because we acknowledge that being bisexual can be a fluid identity that is not always binary in nature; we reject that we must have ‘two’ sides or that we must be involved simultaneously with ‘both genders’ to be fulfilled human beings. In fact, we do not […]
Conference welcomes the success of the year of LGBT+ workers, which was celebrated up and down the country in many different ways. Our year has been used to celebrate all of our not inconsiderable achievements and to highlight the continued discrimination faced by our communities within general society. Following the previous years of young members, […]
Conference notes that in recent years, a significant number of individuals who have arrived in the United Kingdom (UK) seeking asylum have found themselves effectively blocked from gaining refugee status due to their method of entry. Among these individuals, there are many from the LGBT+ community who have fled persecution and violence in their home […]
Conference notes that LGBT+ members are diverse and that some of our members experience racism, ableism, ageism, sexism because of who we are as well as discrimination because of our sexual orientations and gender identities. Understanding intersectionality and the dynamics of power and privilege is imperative for both employers and members to allow the fairest […]
Conference is saddened by the publication of the Department for Education’s guidance for teachers on how best to support pupils in school questioning their gender in December 2023. Gillian Keegan, Education Secretary at the time, said, “This guidance puts the best interests of all children first, removing any confusion about the protections that must be […]
Conference welcomes the demise of the United Kingdom (UK) Conservative government, ending fourteen years of backward steps for LGBT+ equality. We also welcome concrete commitments from the new UK Labour government to equalise the law on hate crime by extending the aggravated offence regime to anti-LGBT+ hate crime, to reducing the huge waiting-lists for LGBT+ […]