Over the last year UNISON has done a huge amount of work to save the Passenger Transport Forum (PTF) as a functioning negotiating body. In 2015, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) management gave notice to exit the negotiating element of the PTF, citing a need for greater “flexibility.” UNISON has a proud tradition of defending […]
Conference motions
Conference notes the resolution from last year’s WET conference to look at increasing Black member participation in the service group. When looking at measurements of engagement such as representation on branch and national committees and attendance at service group and Black members’ conferences the activism levels of Black members in WET remains an area of […]
Conference welcomes the growing recognition of same sex partnerships, including the 2005 Civil Partnership Act and the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Acts that came into force in England and Wales and in Scotland in 2014. However, conference echoes UNISON’s condemnation of the inequality entrenched in these laws with regard to surviving partner workplace pensions. The […]
Conference notes that Working Time Regulations stipulate that workers must have: At least a twenty minute break if they work more than six hours a day; At least eleven hours rest between working days, and; at least an uninterrupted twenty four hour rest without any work each week or an uninterrupted forty eight hours without […]
WET Conference 2016 will remember the devastation caused by floods in late 2015 in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire in particular which had a devastating effect on the general public including many UNISON members both as employees and victims of the floods. Inadequate resources by this Tory Government have played a major part in flood defences […]
Composite A NEPAL EARTHQUAKE The Nepal Himalayan earthquake struck on the morning of 25th April 2015 at 11.56, killing more than 7,000 people. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the worst for 81 years. The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing at least 19 people, making it the deadliest day on the mountain in history. […]
Conference is concerned that health services for the whole community are under sustained attack from wave after wave of austerity cuts. We know that Black communities take a disproportionate impact of these cuts There is growing alarm at the impact of cuts to mental health services for vulnerable children and young people. A recent annual […]
Conference notes with some distress that despite the UNISON ruling which allows for the creation of Black members self organised groups, protected seats at the highest lay member level, fairness and proportionality rules for conference and numerous motions which promote the increased involvement of Black members throughout our structures, many Black members continue to report […]
Conference, for many years medical science has been discovering life changing and life saving ways to increase life expectancy of human beings. However one of the areas that need to be highlighted for enhancing and saving life is organ donation. A donation is where a person donates their organs and tissues for transplant. A transplant […]
Conference, many people will not have heard of the Rohingya people, yet as the Economist noted these are some of the most persecuted minorities of people. The Rohingya people are Muslims from the Rakhine state in Burma and speak the Rohingya language. As far back as 1982 the Burmese government has denied the Rohingya citizenship, […]
Last summer, Israel launched another deadly assault on Gaza. Over 2200 Palestinians were killed and tens of thousands are still homeless. Currently, people in Gaza are living amongst the rubble of their homes, without proper running water or electricity. One year on and the problems left by this assault are still visible. We want to […]
Conference notes human rights abuse perpetrated within the country of origin of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who make asylum applications in the United Kingdom (UK). Many of these countries are Commonwealth members with strong historical links to the UK. If returned to their homeland, there would be a good chance these […]
Since the disastrous election of a majority Tory Government in May 2015 the impact of public sector and welfare cuts has worsened for Black people. The Tories first budget has deepened austerity with more than 1.25 million Black households and 4 million Black people worse off under the range of budget measures that will have […]
This Conference notes that in his acceptance speech, Jeremy Corbyn promised that the Labour Party, with him as leader, will reach out to everyone in this country and nobody would be left on the side. The relationship between the Labour Party and Black communities needs to be a key focus of any and all steps […]
Conference, the toxic debate on immigration has deep echoes of a past that never seems to leave us. The response of UNISON Black members’ is based on the lessons of the anti-racist movement and principals of self-organisation. It is said that poverty breeds fear which causes people to look for scapegoats. UKIP and its rhetoric […]