Conference recognises that eating disorders are the most deadly of all mental illnesses, affecting mostly women and teenage girls, and is among the most difficult to treat. Eating disorders can have severe medical consequences including damaging effects on virtually every organ system including cardiac, reproductive, kidney and musculoskeletal. Suicide is also a major risk factor. […]
Conference motions
Just over 280,000 people in Wales are being treated by their doctor for depression, 195,000 of those are women. These figures are dwarfed by the numbers of people across the UK are are being treated for depression, where three million people are in receipt of doctor support for depression, the overwhelming majority of these are […]
Conference notes the research, conclusions, and recommendations of A Double Disadvantage? Minority Ethnic Women in Trade Unions. The research recommended: 1)mentoring of black activists by more experienced activists and officers – a very important and effective way to learn about the union and to develop skills; 2)support for networking, which is a crucial route into […]
In autumn 2004, the Prime Minister established a Women and Work Commission to look at how men’s and women’s education and skills affect which jobs they can get; promotion and career progression; women’s experiences in the job market, before and after having children and women’s differing experiences of working either full time and part-time. All […]
Conferences notes with concern the current interest in reviewing the law to reduce the time limits for abortions. The decision to have an abortion is a complex one, involving a range of personal, emotional, social and economical considerations. Conference does not believe that any review on the time limits for abortion should be purely based […]
It is estimated that one in ten children is a young carer in the UK today, saving the country an estimated £3 million per year. The majority of these children will be caring for their mother or enabling their mother to work by caring for another family member. The majority of young carers are girls. […]
Conference notes the horrific experiences that many women have of the immigration process in the UK and the role that the Dungavel detention centre in South Lanarkshire has played. Conference recognises that since the detention centre opened, over 100 children have been detained at the centre along with their families. This includes the Ay family […]
Conference is concerned that throughout their lives issues related to homelessness disproportionately affect women. Conference recognises that homelessness is not merely a question of a roof over a woman’s head but reflects a woman’s right to control where and how she chooses to live. For young women this can be due to family circumstances including […]
Increasingly we read about public service workers being attacked, not only within the workplace but travelling to and from work. Women members who work within the community are particularly vulnerable when accessing the community, answering on-call and going to and from work at unsociable hours. Conference calls upon the National Women’s Committee to: 1)promote lone […]
Conference notes the recent ministerial statement encouraging women to produce more children at a time when the cycle of deprivation has yet to be fully addressed. Conference believes that it is irresponsible for the minister to send out this message when there is currently insufficient affordable housing or childcare provision. Conference calls upon the National […]
Conference recognises that average women’s pay has in recent years fallen below average men’s pay. In view of this, Conference welcomes legislation aimed at ensuring that pay is paid on the basis of what is done and the skills and knowledge required. Most of UNISON’s members are women, therefore for local government workers single status […]
Conference notes that child victims of sexual abuse are entitled to compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Such compensation is particularly relevant to women who are the main victims of child sexual abuse. However this compensation is subject to certain conditions, primarily: 1) that offences must be reported to the police; and 2)that […]
Conference will recall motion 33 from National Women’s Conference 1998 which highlighted the problem of teenage girls being inappropriately placed in adult women’s prisons, in contravention of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that juvenile offenders should be separated from adults within the prison system, but that the British government […]
In 2003, National Women’s Conference resolved not to allow UNISON to forget its policy on proportionality. We called for National Women’s Committee to: 1)collate and publish statistics annually which monitor progress towards achieving proportionality throughout UNISON, and to present these annually to Women’s Conference; and 2)ask the National Executive Council to present these findings annually […]
Conference is concerned at the apparent increase in the ill treatment of women asylum seekers as reported by solicitors/barristers working in this field. With a hostile public attitude that has been developed and is fed by the rightwing press, there seems to be less interest in the fate of asylum seekers and there may be […]