We are all aware of the crisis we are facing in the energy industry. With energy cost increases set to continue, the invasion of Ukraine on the 24th February 2022 and continued sanctions on Russia causing gas shortages as well as the continued rise of inflation. It is no wonder that we are seeing more […]
Conference motions
Since de-regulation we have seen many suppliers come and go within the energy industry and while this was seen as a good thing competitively, there was little thought about the impacts on the energy workforce which has seen thousands of good jobs lost from the suppliers with strong union agreements in place. While inadequate regulations […]
This energy service group Conference notes that significant changes are happening within National Grid that will impact UNISON members who work for the company. These changes include the purchase of WPD (western power distribution) the disposal of its Gas Transmission business and the possible disposal of the electricity system operator function. As a result of […]
The toxic debate ignited by the United Kingdom government’s consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act underlined the importance of our union, including branches in the energy service group, supporting and representing our trans members effectively Attacks on trans rights have escalated further in the past year. There has been a sustained attack on Stonewall’s […]
Conference notes that UNISON has declared 2022 the year of disabled workers, which is a great opportunity for Energy branches to organise, bargain and campaign on the issues that matter to our disabled members and to increase recruitment and retention as a result. Energy branches can use 2022 to highlight the experience of our disabled […]
Conference recalls that the “UNISON Energy workers and the drive to Net Zero and Carbon Neutrality by 2050” motion passed at the 2021 Energy conference highlighted the measures promoted by the service group which would retain and promote members jobs in the energy sector while driving the changes necessary to decarbonise energy and called on […]
Conference notes that energy employers have reported many difficulties in recruiting into a wide range of roles within the energy sector. It is also known that in some parts of the sector the workforce is ageing, and more workers are retiring than being replaced. This is adding to workforce fatigue and an over reliance on […]
CRISIS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INDUSTRIAL ACTION BALLOTING – A PAY STRATEGY THAT CAN AND MUST WIN The Higher Education Sector has reached what appears to be a crisis point regarding balloting for strike action over pay. Neither aggregate nor disaggregate balloting appears to be effective when considering the returns from industrial action ballots in Higher […]
Conference notes that since the introduction of the Trade Union Act, our union and the Service Group Executive (SGE) have failed to adapt to the changing dynamics of the need to win 50% turnouts. We have seen successful ballot actions fail to reach the required threshold to undertake lawful industrial action and this has left […]
Conference notes that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill 2021, currently going through the Westminster Parliament, proposes new laws that the government has said are needed to “safeguard” free speech and academic freedom in universities. The bill would mean higher education providers – and student unions – will have a duty to “actively promote” […]
The toxic debate ignited by the United Kingdom government’s consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act underlined the importance of our union, including branches in the Higher Education Service Group, supporting and representing our trans members effectively Attacks on trans people escalated further in 2021. Groups trying to roll back the rights of trans people […]
Conference moves that, since the introduction of the Trade Union Act, our union and the Service Group Executive has failed to adapt to the changing dynamics of the need to win 50% turnouts. We have seen ballots fail to reach the required threshold to undertake lawful industrial action and this has created a legacy of […]
The Higher Education Sector has reached what appears to be a crisis point regarding balloting for strike action over pay. Neither aggregate nor disaggregate balloting appears to be effective when considering the returns from industrial action ballots in Higher Education. Higher Education in UNISON needs to seriously consider why our members are not engaging in […]
The work done by members in the last 18 months has been simply phenomenal; or if you prefer, “unprecedented”. Members at all grades have gone that extra mile to essentially keep the Higher Education (HE) sector alive: whether that be staff in security, residential services, cleaning, estates who have stayed on campus, meaning that they […]
More than four in five workers in Britain want to work flexibly according to a Trade Union Congress (TUC) report on The future of flexible work published in June 2021. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, there was inequality in access to genuinely flexible working. As the TUC report notes, “Too many people in working-class occupations […]