Conference notes that in 1980 at the time of the last Conservative Government there were 13 million union members in the UK and collective bargaining or Wages Councils orders covered 82% of the labour force. In 2010 trade union membership is about six million workers and collective bargaining covers 35% of the labour force. The […]
Conference motions
The Local Government Pension Fund (LGPS) and benefits must be defended and fought for as a key priority for UNISON. Unlike the other public sector schemes the LGPS obtains income from its investments. Therefore the governance and economic performance of the funds are critical to the survival of the benefits they deliver. Any detrimental changes […]
Conference applauds the dedicated work of public service workers throughout the country that has helped this country through a severe recession and provided a lifeline to countless families, businesses and individuals facing homelessness, bankruptcy, joblessness, poverty, or personal stress and poor health. Conference wishes to highlight again how crucial public services will be for supporting […]
Conference notes that alongside extra funding and improved levels of care, recent years have seen a continuation of government policies to extend the marketisation of the English NHS and to create a larger role for the private sector. It is highly likely that this trend will continue whatever the outcome of the 2010 general election. […]
Conference welcomes the fact that the issue of Palestine became a key international priority for the British trade union movement during 2009 following the unprecedented and disproportionate use of force by Israel against the people of Gaza. Conference notes the comprehensive policy on Palestine adopted by National Delegate Conference in 2009 and reiterates its support […]
Conference applauds Gordon Brown’s statement of commitment last year to the principle of the Tobin Tax and notes the immediate reaction from Boris Johnson in defence of an independent and greedy City which illustrated the determination of so many Tories to defend unfettered access to unlimited unearned income from the financial markets. The proposal to […]
The Philippines is becoming increasingly dangerous for trade unionists and labour activists. According to the International Trade Union Confederation’s Annual Survey of Trade Union rights violations, the Philippines is the most dangerous place in Asia to be a trade unionist. In 2008, 218 new cases of trade union and human rights violations involving almost 69,000 […]
Conference notes with concern that many employers have either introduced new draconian measures or have ‘tightened up’ existing procedures in an attempt to reduce rates of sickness absence. Many employers record, actively manage and pursue capability procedures against workers whose attendance is affected by illness. These measures often make little or no distinction between workers […]
This Conference notes the increasing challenges facing the nursing and midwifery family workforce. Following the Darzi Review nurses are being subjected to increasing scrutiny. They are expected to demonstrate their contribution to patient and service-level outcomes, using yet to be fully determined metrics, which are based mainly on the negative elements of care for example […]
Conference notes that in the current financial climate many NHS organisations are not taking into account the valuable role therapy services play in delivering efficient, cost-effective and patient-centred services. Many NHS organisations need to make significant financial savings, causing them to cut therapy services and freeze vacant posts. This short-sighted approach fails to recognise the […]
Conference notes the changes to the NHS pension scheme and ill Health Retirement arrangements that have been in place since April 2008. Conference also notes there have been no extra groups of special classes for many years in the scheme, the last being Mental Health Officer status even though front line ambulance staff have campaigned […]
This Conference is concerned that government’s solution to the current recession is through cutting funding to health services is having a negative disproportionate impact on disabled employees. The evidence from the Disabled Members Self Organised Group is that disabled health staff are more vulnerable with regards to redundancy and employers are using false competency measures […]
Conference notes the importance of skill mix throughout the NHS workforce and by developing good workforce planning in Nursing and Allied Health Professional Services which delivers better, flexible patient care. However, replacing Bands 5, 6 and 7 Nursing and Allied Health Professional staff with Band 3-5 Clinical Support Worker, to reduce costs will only put […]
Conference notes that by the financial year 2013/14 the total amount of money to be repaid by NHS Trusts to PFI consortia will be £2.3 billion a year, with a total debt of £90 billion over the duration of the schemes. This increased pressure on valuable NHS resources will come at a time when the […]
The Bury St Edmunds & District Health Branch of UNISON applauds NHS Bedfordshire for balloting its staff on their proposal to set up a Social Enterprise Board. NHS Bedfordshire needed 51% in favour of the proposal, but the staff had other ideas and responded with a magnificent 97% vote against, in a 98% turnout. Conference […]