Financial Negligence of Charities’ Trustees

Conference notes the report of the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee into the collapse of the Kids’ Company charity. Criticism was singled out for the charity’s trustees and the Charity Commission. According to the report the valuable work of this charity, along with its “inspired and motivated employees” was let down by the […]

Nepal Earthquake

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. […]

Black Mental Health

Composite B BLACK MENTAL HEALTH. Conference, the theme of mental health crops up a lot at these conferences and with good reason. The Mental Health Foundation which is the leading mental health research organisation in the UK states that black people from the UK are: More likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems More […]

Ethical Procurement Policy in Housing associations and Charities

Conference welcomes the news that the Living wage has been increased to £9.40 per hour in London and £8.25 elsewhere. It is right and proper that UNISON is fully behind moves to encourage even more employers to sign up to the living wage. It is not acceptable that many of our members work 35 hours […]

Attacks on Third Sector Terms and Conditions

Following the Chancellor’s budget speech on 8th July 2015 and the introduction of the “National Living Wage” we call on conference to lobby, support and campaign to prevent attacks on terms and conditions of the members working in The Third Sector. The Third Sector is now further under attack from the employers due to the […]

Facility time in the community sector

Conference notes within the community sector it is can be difficult to negotiate paid time off for trade union workplace representatives to carry out trade union duties, particularly in smaller workplaces. Workplace reps are entitled to paid time off to cover trade union duties related to collective bargaining on issues including terms and conditions of […]

Living Wage

Conference notes and applauds the role UNISON has played, and continues to play, in the campaign for a Living Wage. Around 4.8 million people, 20% of the working population, are paid less than a Living Wage – the hourly rate set by the Living Wage Foundation calculated according to the actual cost of living, and […]

Count us in

Conference notes the challenges of organising lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members in community, partly at least due to the way in which we are structured. Members may belong to a national branch, a bespoke community branch, a housing association branch, a health branch, a local government branch and/or a small branch. Where members […]

Age Discrimination in Higher Education

With rising pension ages both in the State and Employers Pension Scheme, Higher Education will see an increase in the age of its workforce. The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against employees because of their age. Age discrimination can impact on someone’s confidence, job prospects, financial situation and quality of life. Older […]

Closer Working with Students’ Unions

Conference notes the vital importance of expanding the spirit and ethos of trade unionism amongst students. To this end, as a highly politically sensitive area of the union, we need to foster closer relations with students unions through the UK. Students, as a group of ‘consumers’, need to realise that with increased tuition fees, they […]

Information Is Power

This Conference believes that the growth of privatisation and outsourcing in Higher Education presents a major challenge not just to the provision of services, but also to our ability to organise the workforce effectively. This Conference believes that the service group’s response to this challenge must be to support branches seeking to resist privatisation and […]

Equality rights and collective agreements in higher education

Conference notes that it was our union’s national collective bargaining that established many equality protections long before they were enshrined in law. For example, our predecessor unions secured recognition of same sex partners for the purposes of workplace benefits before workplace discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation was banned and many years before the first […]

Control of Risk and Hazardous Substances in Higher Education

Conference notes that Health and Safety has not been exempt from the government’s austerity cuts agenda. The continued drive to “cut red tape” has brought changes to both the way work environments and hazardous substances are classified. Conference welcomes the initiative to standardise substance labelling worldwide and agree that when it comes to health and […]

University wholly owned subsidiary companies

Conference, higher education employers are increasingly using the creation of wholly owned subsidiary companies to transfer support staff to deliver services. This is being used as a way to externalise staff for the purpose of creating a two-tier workforce to undermine the terms and conditions of new workers and placing the pensions and other contractual […]

Black Community Sector and Commissioning

This Conference believes that a strong and empowered Black community sector benefits all communities. The Black community sector often provides innovative and inclusive projects and reaches people who would otherwise remain on the margins of society. It not only provides vital services but plays an important role in capacity building, civic engagement and social inclusion. […]