Review of the Devolution Protocol

Post Brexit political scene merely heightens the constitutional debate in a “disunited kingdom” of growing civic nationalism and regionalisation, the unsettled will for political change, the growing plurality of politics, which will have further implications for government and governance. In turn, these are issues of plurality and diversification for the trade union to address in […]

Disability History Month

Conference believes that UNISON should celebrate Disability History Month on an annual basis. Disability History Month was set up in 2010 to provide a platform to focus on the work that has been done to fight for equality for disabled people. Each year the month has a theme – for example, the 2018 disability history […]

Celebrate the concessionary bus pass and the bus

A recent report in the Journal of Transport and Health by Dr Sarah Jackson, highlighted important benefits for older people who use a concessionary bus pass: a) Older people who use a concessionary bus pass tend to be more happy and physically active; b) They are also less likely to be socially isolated when they […]

Tackling Stress, Bullying and Harassment

Conference understands the huge scale of harm being caused to members by work-related stress, including wrecked lives and relationships, debilitating mental and physical illness and sometimes, tragically, death. Such misery is often compounded by the insensitive treatment of victims by some employers who, far from acknowledging their own responsibility for causing excessive workplace stress, seek […]

Fraud and the elderly

Conference notes with concern the ‘BBC 5 Live Investigates’ report on fraud broadcast in September 2018 stating that fraudsters scammed nearly 49,000 older people across the UK in the past year, equivalent to almost six reports every hour. Furthermore the total number of reports has nearly doubled in the past 3 years and one expert […]

Austerity – Defending living standards for older p

Conference recalls how concerned we were last year about the Intergenerational Commission’s final report published in April 2018. Conference notes, now, that the report’s publication has foreshadowed a series of further attacks on older people’s entitlements and standards of living including: 1) The Taxpayers’ Alliance’s report, Pensions Inequality, issued in August 2018 calling for an […]

Cuba

UNISON applauds the achievement by the people of Cuba in liberating their country and sustaining it as a beacon of socialism over the last 60 years – with remarkable achievements in health, education and culture – in the face of massive oppression by powerful northern neighbour the USA and other reactionary forces. The Cuban revolution […]

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Conference notes that #MeToo has transformed the debate around sexual harassment and has enabled women and men to come forward. with cases being reported in the media more than ever before. Conference acknowledges that anyone at any time can experience sexual harassment, but the statistics demonstrate that the overwhelming majority of victims are women. Conference […]

Menopause and the Workplace

Conference notes that around 3.5 million women aged fifty years and over are currently in employment in the UK. Conference notes further that the employment rate for women in the UK has actually increased in the past few decades and women now represent nearly half of the UK labour force. This means that many more […]

Health and social care provision for older people

Conference recognises that health and social care workers are dedicated and hard working but lowly paid with poor terms and conditions. They do their best to provide quality care but against a background of crisis within health and social care services. Research confirms care for residents in privately run homes for the elderly can be […]

Amendment to S.O.10.1

In Standing Order 10.1 After “report to” delete “members” and substitute: “the relevant Branch or submitting body”, and, after “submission of motions and amendments” add: “to Standing Orders” City of Wolverhampton Islington

Housing Crisis

Conference recognises that high housing costs and affordability are among the biggest issues facing the workforce in the South East and nationally, and affecting where they can live, what they can access and what they can afford. According to the National Housing Federation, there was a shortfall of over 85,000 homes in the South East […]

Universal credit and mixed age couples

Conference condemns the Government’s decision to implement a benefits cut that impacts mixed-age couples – where one partner is of pension age and the other is not of pensionable age who are in receipt of Universal Credit. The charity Age UK has calculated that this change could leave some pensioners up to £7,000 worse off […]

Justice for the Windrush Generation

Arriving in UK between 1942 – 1971 from the Caribbean islands, at the invitation of the then government, came the generation named the ‘Windrush Generation’. The name came from the MV Empire Windrush, which arrived at Tilbury Docks, Essex, on 22 June 1948, bringing workers from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands, as a […]

The Crisis in Social Care

Conference notes with alarm the ongoing crisis in social care and continues to be appalled by the cuts being made to vital social care services. Conference notes that, although social care has been relatively protected compared to other council services, care spending per adult resident has fallen substantially since 2009-10. Conference believes that the sector […]