Promoting Lesbian and Gay Self Organisation within the Water and Environment Service Group

Conference notes that one of UNISON’s stated objectives is to improve the flow of information to members. Conference also notes that it is often those who are most vulnerable to discrimination from both employers and work colleagues who are the most difficult for us to reach by the ‘usual channels’. Conference believes that there are […]

Offshoring

A number of water companies of water companies including United Utilities and Thames Water already have or are in the process of moving jobs such as those in call centres to offshore locations permanently depriving the local economy of these jobs. This is done as a means of minimising costs and maximising profits. This Group […]

Pensions

Against a background of the increased move within the water industry and other utilities away from final salary schemes to money purchase schemes this conference urges the Service Group Executive to work with the Energy Service Group Executive and the Transport Service Group Executive via the Business and Environment Working Group to mount a campaign […]

Encouraging Self Organisation in the Transport Service Group

Conference welcomes the initiatives by the Transport Service Group Executive to foster and promote self-organisation in the Transport Service, e.g: – Lesbian and Gay members’ day Disabled members’ day Women’s seminar Black Members’ Group Conference calls upon the Transport Service Group Executive to work with the Water and Environment Service Group Executive and the Energy […]

Work Related Driving Dangers

This Water and Environment Service Group Conference welcomes the report of the independent work related road safety task group, which confirms TUC estimates of 1,000 deaths annually in work related deaths on the road. The issue of road risk is particularly relevant for employers like United Utilities that cover hundreds of miles North to South […]

Offshoring

This Water and Environment Service Group Conference notes with concern that employers such as Vertex, part of United Utilities, Cap, Gemini, Ernst &Young and Thames Water are actively considering transferring work to India. Negotiators in such Branches are advised to seek assurances from their employers that this issue will not escalate and put more British […]

Voice Damage

The Water and Environment Service Group Conference welcomes research undertaken at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, which found that some 60% of Call Centre staff have suffered a voice disorder. Call Centres throughout Britain are now estimated to account for 2% of the workforce and are very prevalent in employers such as United Utilities. UNISON […]

Environment Agency Resources

This Conference welcomes the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive by the UK Government and looks forward to a more democratic basis for the management of the nation’s water resources. Conference endorses UNISON’s response to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affiair’s consultation on the Water Framework Directive and particularly welcomes the support […]

Proportionality

Conference is concerned that we failed to achieve proportionality by the year 2000. But women in UNISON must not let our union forget this policy. It is still important that those who hold power within UNISON, or who represent it should reflect the make-up of the membership. We should continue to strive towards this target […]

Privatisation and the Two Tier Workforce

Conference supports UNISON’s committment to well funded publicly owned, publicly controlled and democratically accountable public services and notes our opposition to privatisation (Positively Public Campaign). Conference notes UNISON’s ongoing campaign to put an end to the two tier workforce which results when private contractors employ new staff on different contracts, usually on far worse terms […]

Black Women and Employment

Conference notes the TUC’s report “Black and Excluded” which looks at black workers and pay. The report notes that black women are disproportionately represented in certain sectors such as public health, education services and textiles, which are traditionally low paid sectors. Within these sectors black women are further disadvantaged by being concentrated in lower graded […]

Employment Rights for Women with Premature Babies

Under the current legislation, a woman giving birth to a premature baby that requires hospitalisation finds she has the same amount of maternity leave as the mother of a baby that can go home. This Conference recognises the additional stress on mothers and their families trying to cope with babies who have yet to come […]

Survival of the Prettiest

Conference is appalled at the body image of women promoted and marketed from the latter part of the 20th century as the one to which all women should aspire. Not only is this body image unachievable but more crucially it serves to support the rising sales of cosmetics and personal care products. Conference agrees that […]

Women in Sport

Conference is concerned about the continuing invisibility of women in sport. Despite what may be considered to be saturation coverage of sporting events by terrestrial, cable and satellite television, very little of this coverage is of women’s sport. Indeed it could be argued that sport on TV has become synonymous with men’s sport, and the […]

Motion for Initiating a UNISON campaign on a Woman’s Right to Choose

This Conference reaffirms its commitment to support UNISON’s campaign for a woman’s right to choose In recent years there has been an upsurge of anti-abortion activity by so called “pro-life” campaigners. This has been aided and abetted by the popular media and misinformation about abortion. Some NHS Trusts no longer offer abortion after 14 weeks, […]