Teaching Assistants

Unison has a commitment to the country’s young people. By returning to feudal values and removing the support from the weakest in our society this government has persistently manipulated the oppression of working people and their families into controlled and isolated social groups. These groups are now being used by Tories to propagandise and enhance […]

Disability Awareness training for managers

Conference recognises that there is a lack of disability awareness training for managers and is concerned about the impact this is having on disabled members. There appears to be an increasing lack of understanding of the needs of disabled employees in the workplace leading many employers to fail to make reasonable adjustments. Under the Equality […]

Redundancy, disability leave and disability related sick leave

Conference we are seeing an increasing number of employers including ‘attendance’ in redundancy selection procedures and we are concerned about the impact this has on disabled members and their ability to retain their employment. Under the Equality Act, employers are allowed to use attendance as a selection criterion but must make sure it does not […]

From Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Poor, Insolvent and Penniless

Conference recognises that the move from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) is having a devastating impact on disabled people. This Tory led government ignored the concerns of disabled people, unions and other organisations when they began implementing PIP earlier this year. Despite claims that the benefit is to help those in […]

Young, Disabled and Invisible

Conference is concerned that young people starting work for the first time are finding it increasingly difficult to have a learning disability recognised as it is extremely difficult to get a diagnosis. This is almost impossible for young people who may be on the autistic spectrum. Government policy does not provide a service where young […]

DISMISSAL ON THE GROUNDS OF CAPABILITY – INFORMATION GATHERING

This Conference is increasingly concerned at the number of UNISON members who are being dismissed through capability practices as a result of ill health. Whilst we know that this practice is becoming more common as the Tory led coalition continues to punish the public sector through its austerity measure, we need a clearer picture to […]

Attendance Management

Conference is concerned that in the 21st Century some employers are still using draconian sickness absence polices, policies such as the Bradford Factor which we widely know discriminates against disabled workers. Absence from work due to a disability should be treated differently and distinctly to regular sickness absence, and have a separate agreed policy relating […]

The Care Bill and Disabled People

Conference is concerned that the Care Bill will have a detrimental impact on disabled people who use care services. We condemn the failure of this government to find a long-term sustainable solution to the funding deficit in social care. The Coalition government is introducing a £72,000 cap on the amount individuals will need to pay […]

Dealing with Disability in the Workplace

This conference recognises the increased pressure put on disabled members by managers and supervisors being unaware of the responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). This lack of knowledge puts additional strain on our disabled members and often results in them having to stay off work longer that required due to the lack of reasonable […]

Attitudes against Disabled Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people

Conference notes that despite the success of the 2012 Paralympics, attitudes towards disabled people have deteriorated in the current economic climate and this is exacerbated by the current Government. This government provides misinformation about disabled people and their benefit entitlements. This has led to a hate campaign by tabloid press and the scapegoating of disabled […]

Disability Access for Events

Conference recognises the work done at national level to ensure the access needs of disabled members are met when attending national events. Conference also notes the commitment of the union in ensuring disabled members are enabled to fully participate in all the work of the union. However, national events and circumstances are not always mirrored […]

Living Wage

Conference recognises the success of the campaigns to achieve the Living Wage in councils and notes that the pay offer from the Scottish employers for 2013 included a Living Wage for all 32 councils in Scotland of a Living wage of at least £7.50. Conference notes however that not all councils have agreed to pay […]

Local Government Funding Cuts

Conference is alarmed that many Councils have faced unprecedented reductions in Government grants since the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review. Since then, the position has deteriorated for local government with many councils now forecasting that central Government support over the six year period 2011-2017 will see reductions in excess of £100m. The December 2012 Autumn Statement […]

Fighting Cuts and Privatisation – Highlighting ‘The Damage’ to our Communities and the Economy

Conference deplores the scale of the austerity cuts and the damage they are wreaking on local services and our members who work in them. Despite the high profile failures of privatised services, councils continue to outsource services to private sector organisations – either through ideology or because they believe the bogus claims that the private […]

Modern Apprentices in Local Government

This Conference notes that the recession is impacting on jobs in the public sector: full time permanent jobs are disappearing at an alarming rate as Councils and other public sector agencies deal with the impact of reducing budgets. Support is confirmed for UNISON policies aimed at resisting attacks on our members’ jobs, pay and service […]