School Support Staff

This Conference condemns the Coalition Government’s decision to abolish the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). This is happening at the same time as the government is encouraging all schools in England to move away from local authorities and the number of academies, trust and foundation schools is increasing and the Government’s encouragement of setting […]

Defending the Local Government Pension Scheme

This Conference condemns the Coalition government’s ongoing attacks on the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and welcomes the Service Group Executive’s statement of its response to those attacks issued in November 2010. Conference condemns the: 1)3% increase in employee subscriptions by 2014/15 required in the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review; 2)Switch from RPI to CPI for […]

Car Allowances and Rising Fuel Costs

Although UNISON has a National Agreement relating to casual and essential users and relevant mileage rates that accompany those categories of user, the outcome of Single Status negotiations together with the austere economic climate has led to more and more employers proposing to move away from the National Agreement towards the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment […]

Attacks on Terms and Conditions

Conference deplores current attacks on hard-won NJC pay and conditions across local authorities and Boards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a pay freeze for a second year, without the £250 compensation promised by the Chancellor in his 2010 Budget. Dorset County Council proposed that its entire staff should take 1 day each month […]

Using Equality to Fight Local Government Cuts

Conference deplores the swingeing spending cuts taking place across local government. With a female workforce of over 75%, cuts to local government jobs and terms and conditions have a detrimental effect on women in particular and may adversely impact on other protected groups. The disproportionate impact of cuts on women is well documented: 1)The changes […]

Campaign Against local Government Cuts and for a Fair Deal

This Conference is appalled by the damage that has already been inflicted on local public services, to the communities that depend on them and to the loyal local government workforce that provides them by the social vandalism of the Conservative-led Government. Conference believes that there is no electoral mandate for the widespread destruction of council […]

Fighting To Defend Members’ Pension Rights

Conference notes with extreme concern the decision by Severn Trent PLC taken in May 2011 to give notice of its intention to close the final salary based Severn Trent Water Pension Scheme. Sadly most water companies have already closed their final salary schemes to new members with just one small water supply company, Cambridge also […]

Emergency Motion – Government Green Paper -A State pension for the 21st Century – implications for occupational pension schemes in the Water, Environment and Transport Service Group.

“Conference notes that the publication on 5 April 2011 of the Government Consultation Document – “A State pension for the 21st Century” will have significant implications for members of all occupational pension schemes in the Water, Environment and Transport Service Group. The increased National Insurance costs to employers and employees inherent in the Government’s proposals […]

Save Our Buses

Conference welcomes the launch on 1 February 2011of Campaign for Better Transport’s new campaign ‘Save our Buses’. The campaign has been initiated due to the increasing number of local authorities who are looking to save money by reducing the number of socially necessary and school bus services they support because of cuts to government funding. […]

Absence management – HIV and other disabilities

Conference notes employer duties to make reasonable adjustments in their management of disabled employees who are absent from work as a result of their disability. We call on Water Environment and Transport (WET) employers to take their responsibilities seriously, and to pay specific attention to employees living with HIV. Many WET employers are scared or […]

Tackling LGBT discrimination from water, environment and transport customers, colleagues and members of the public

Conference welcomes the 2010 Equality Act – one of the last Labour government’s final pieces of legislation. This provides a wide ranging basis for negotiating in our water, environment and transport (WET) workplaces. It places a duty on every employer, whether in the private or public sector, to protect their employees from discrimination from colleagues, […]

Cross-functioning across Clean and Waste Sites.

The latest reorganisations within several of the water companies seem to have turned the clock back and brought clean and waste water operatives working together and cross functioning across sites. This seems to us to be a backward step. The risk of contamination to workers and the public was a major reason why these streams […]

Increase to Retirement Age

With this current Government being hellbent in increasing retirement ages until we drop, companies in the Water, Environment and Transport sector like others may invoke ‘capability’ to get rid of older workers. They tend to be higher paid with better terms and conditions and more likely to ‘challenge the system’ than younger workers. All workers […]

Aerosol Formation

0Although most of our companies that treat waste are phasing out the paddle rotation systems in the Activated Sludge Process and replacing them with the more efficient diffused oxygen technique another hazard involving aerosol formation is entering our workplaces. This is the composting of sludge waste and green waste to sell as garden compost and […]

Better Lone Working Systems

Most lone working systems used in the water industry are cumbersome to use and involve ringing numbers which takes time and are only effective for office or van based workers. For groups such as meter readers or samplers who are working on riverbanks and walking along lonely footpaths or in people’s homes they need an […]