This conference notes the devastating impact that marketisation, public sector funding cuts, and welfare reform, have had on workers in the community and voluntary sector. Market mechanisms have led to a race to the bottom in terms and conditions in many parts of the sector, as employers undercut each other to win contracts. The Government […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that in the UK there are 168 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Research conducted by the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) reports that Black people represents 8.6 per cent of higher education academic staff and 6.9 per cent of professional support staff. Conference is aware that in the UK the Higher Education context has changed […]
Conference notes that in this current climate of Government cuts resulting in a reduction to services and jobs, professional support staff are experiencing many challenges within the workforce. Since 2008 government funding cuts have become more savage; ministers have publicly called for more to be done for less across the entire public sector and specifically […]
This conference believes that recent restructurings (such as at Middlesex University which has seen the creation of centralised student services, combining the services from 4 campuses into one) and outsourcing exercises, mean that many ‘entry-level’ jobs are severely reduced or disappear altogether. It is also often the case that these jobs are the first to […]
Conference notes the continued promotion of shared services and privatisation of higher education by the Coalition Government. Evidence from the outsourcing and marketisation of public services suggests that in many cases additional costs are incurred and, increasingly, public sector organisations are looking to in-source services in order to achieve greater efficiency and better value for […]
Conference is aware that disabled people make up approximately of 45% of the workforce in the UK and that a number of disabled people work in the Community Sector. Whilst there are examples of good employment practice, this is inconsistent across Community due to the absence of a national negotiating body and the number of […]
Conference is concerned that some Higher Education (HE) institutions are still failing to implement Disability leave Policies, despite this being offered as an example of a reasonable adjustment in the Code of Practice relating to the employment provisions of the Equality Act 2010. Redundancies and cuts in the Higher Education sector are at an all […]
Conference is concerned that Universities are failing to carry out Equality Impact Assessments (EIA). Although no longer a statutory duty, as part of good employer/employee relations, it is vital that this process is undertaken to expose any detrimental effect HE cuts and redundancies are having on disabled employees. However, the process needs to be meaningful […]
Conference notes that there are a multitude of problems in organising with the Community Service Group, particularly in small employer organisations. Conference notes that: a) Whilst there are areas of good practice and supportive branches, the existing UNISON branch structure does not always easily facilitate engagement of Community members who are placed in Local Government […]
Conference notes that women remain under-represented in the activist base within the community service group despite its workforce being predominantly female. Despite the very positive measures within UNISON to promote women’s participation, there remain legacies and cultures which exclude women, including women from non-traditional union backgrounds, and particularly those working in the Community Sector where […]
Conference notes that affordable child care was one of the main issues raised by the young women members’ caucus at national young members weekend 2013. Conference believes that affordable child care is essential if parents and those with parenting responsibilities, and in particular women, are to be effectively enabled to have access to full working […]
As the trade union with the highest density of women members it is disturbing that so few women are active in their branches or across the union at regional and national level. Self organization should be at the heart of our union and we must ensure that women have the opportunity to be involved from […]
I would like this conference to tell the government that every woman should be routinely given accurate information about group B Streptococcus (group B Strep or GBS) during her antenatal care And then be offered a sensitive test for GBS, ideally at 35-37 weeks of pregnancy Group B streptococcus (GBS), also known as group B […]
In these austere times women often bear the brunt of stretching finances in the home. It is well known that when it comes to prioritising essential things such as food and bills against personal items, food, bills, kids and home always come first, and women’s dignity and health issues go out of the window. One […]
Conference notes that in 2012, the national women’s committee brought a motion to conference highlighting the resurgence of food banks across the UK. At that time, it was reported that in September 2011, 130 food banks were feeding up to 100,000 people. It is shocking to note that the Trussell Trust now has 400 food […]