Conference believes that the strength and sustainability of UNISON depends on the recruitment and organisation of young workers, and their development as activists and leaders. Conference notes, however, that while UNISON has had some measure of success in recruiting young workers, their numbers have remained at around 5% of the membership, and less than 2% […]
Conference motions
Conference is appalled at the Windrush scandal and the treatment of too many of the British citizens affected. In particular Conference is concerned for the many retired people and pensioners caught up in this controversy whose status and rights as British citizens have been erroneously called into question. Conference recalls that Caribbean people were invited […]
Conference notes that: 1) Universal Credit (UC) has been beset with IT failures and delays; 2) There have been many criticisms of UC, which while not opposing UC wholesale, have led to calls for the removal of some of the anti-claimant elements of UC, for example an end to in work sanctions, increased conditionality, monthly […]
Conference is appalled at the treatment of Palestinian children by Israel. The arrest of 16-year-old Ahed Tamimi shone a spotlight on Israel’s systematic abuse of minors through the process of military detention. The treatment of Ahed rightly generated a global response, but her situation is far from unique. Each year the Israeli military arrests and […]
This conference rejects the proposals contained in the Resolution Foundation think tank’s report of the intergenerational Commission, chaired by Lord David Willetts (nicknamed Two Brains), titled “A New Generational Contract”. Conference further rejects the myth of generational unfairness on which the report is founded, and which masks the fact that the real unfairness is based […]
Conference is alarmed at the spread of new NHS arm length companies being set up in England. Potentially employing thousands of staff these companies seek to exploit a VAT loophole to reduce their operating costs. Though owned by local NHS trusts they in future could bring in cheap labour and deny pension scheme access to […]
The introduction of the Barred and Advisory lists in December 2017 is yet another attack on police staff and needs to be exposed and, wherever and however possible, challenged. They add to the increasing repertoire of restrictions placed on us as employees of police forces. Further, the impact the legislation could have on those of […]
Conference applauds the historic landslide vote by the people of the Republic of Ireland to repeal the Eighth amendment to the Irish constitution and recognises the huge victory for women’s right to choose both in the South but also as a beacon of hope for all women where ever they live who are still fighting […]
Conference notes that due to the policies of the Coalition and recent Conservative Governments that the training of registered members of Healthcare staff is in a precarious state. An effect of the Government’s abolition of the bursary for Students has led to a substantial fall in the number of applicants for the Nursing degree. According […]
Conference recognises that there is an increasing amount of our healthcare members working shifts of 10-12 hours plus. There are a variety of reasons why staff are working these shift patterns. For some it is a matter of personal choice and allows them to balance work and life commitments such as caring responsibilities. However, for […]
Conference notes that stress in the workplace is a long standing problem for NHS staff, and research (Hannah Flynn 2016) indicates that almost 9 in 10 practice nurses, GPs and other primary care workers find their work life stressful, leading to some to have suicidal thoughts. Conference believes that health staff are in responsible positions […]
Conference notes that those who work in our NHS come from across the world with different experiences, backgrounds and beliefs, working together to deliver the best services possible. Conference believes that there is no room for racism in the NHS, yet unfortunately is aware of an increase in racist incidents following the EU referendum last […]
Mental health services have been underfunded in the UK for a number of years, having a negative impact on both staff and service users. Funding cuts mean that teams are often under resourced, with staff working long hours and struggling to deliver the highest levels of care. Service users are left on long waiting lists […]
Violence and aggression against NHS staff should never be tolerated. In England, some 70,555 NHS staff were assaulted in 2015/16, up four per cent on the previous year. Similar levels of violence are reported in the devolved nations. These assaults can have a catastrophic effect, not only the physical impact of the injury, but also […]
Conference notes with pride that our National Health Service celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2018. As this milestone is reached the diversity of the NHS workforce should be a theme for public celebration. Conference notes that 1948 was also the year that the Windrush brought 492 migrants to the United Kingdom in what became known […]