These days menstruation can start from as early as 11 years and last well until the mid-fifties. For most women menstruation is natural and is the process which we must endure in order to keep humanity alive ensuring civilisation continues. Yet the question has to be asked “If it is the fundamental role of women […]
Conference motions
Conference deplores the growing evidence of widespread islamaphobia in the UK and elsewhere. Conference notes that part of this distorted world view is the portrayal of Muslim women as passive victims. This narrow stereotype denies the diversity of Muslim women and ignores the long tradition of Muslim women’s organisation. Conference welcomes the example of the […]
Conference deplores the: 1)Widespread persecution of women on grounds of gender, gender identity and sexual orientation. 2)Criminalisation and official mistreatment of lesbian, bisexual and transgender (lbt) women in many countries. 3)United Kingdom Government’s failure to take this up with these countries. 4)Restrictive definitions of ‘family’ under immigration and asylum law. 5)Demonising and stigmatising of immigrants […]
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the womb lining (endometrium) is found outside the uterus. It is estimated that 10% of women of childbearing age have endometriosis, irrespective of age or race. Nobody knows how it is caused, but for those who suffer from the condition symptoms can include: 1)Pelvic pain; 2)Painful […]
This Conference welcomes government measures to increase the incomes of working families. This Conference also welcomes the National Guide produced in conjunction with the Daycare Trust, the national childcare charity for UNISON members to find out about the Working Families Tax Credit scheme. This Conference calls upon the National Women’s Committee to develop easy to […]
The Pill has made it possible for women to decide when and how many children they will give birth to – something which has revolutionised women’s lives and is an important issue in women’s rights. Taking the Contraceptive Pill at any stage in a woman’s life increases the chance of breast cancer according to new […]
Conference is pleased to see that women still comprise two thirds of the membership of UNISON and that women continue to be recruited into the union in ever increasing numbers. Conference is concerned that every support should be given to women to allow them to take an active role within the union as stewards and […]
There has been a lot of publicity recently concerning the safety of hormone replacement therapy. This will have caused great concern to many women who use hormone replacement therapy and general confusion about the benefits/dangers of the long term use. This Conference instructs the National Women’s Committee to produce a publication covering hormone replacement therapy […]
The Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Women’s Committee is very concerned at the continuing disparity in the sentencing passed on men who murder their partners and women who kill their partners in the process of defending themselves against sustained domestic violence/abuse. This continuing discriminatory practice and misunderstanding of the effect that long term domestic violence has […]
This Conference is disappointed to note that when announcing the National Minimum Standards for Care Homes, the Health Minister, Alan Milburn, backtracked on some of the initial promises. As a result the National Minimum Standards will now apply guidelines on factors such as room size and single occupancy to new homes only. There will be […]
In July 2002, a Government appointment review by Alan Pickering, former chairman of the National Association of Pension Funds produced its report A Simpler Way to Better Pensions. This Conference believes that the proposals contained in the Pickering Report will have little impact on the current crisis and do nothing to boost employee confidence in […]
Conference notes that women employees relying on the state pension earned during employment to provide a reasonable standard of living in retirement, often find at the time of retirement, that they will not receive their anticipated pension. We believe this is a pension scandal to rival that of Equitable Life or the Maxwell affair. 1. […]
This Conference notes the findings of the 2002 UNISON survey of UNISON representatives which concludes: 1)The typical UNISON steward is 47 years old, male, working full time and has been a steward for nine years. 2)55% of stewards are men compared to 33% of members who are men. 3)7% of stewards work part time compared […]
This Conference welcomes the Government’s new legislation to improve the rights of working parents from April 2003 in particular: 1)The increase in basic maternity leave from 18 weeks to 26 weeks. 2)The increase in Statutory Maternity Pay from £75 to £100. 3)The introduction of paid paternity leave. 4)The introduction of statutory paid adoption leave. 5)The […]
At the Retired Members’ Annual Conference 2001 delegates were informed that a final report on The Retired Members’ Organisaiton would be presented to and debated by conference 2002. To date 4 October 2002, this separate report has not been presented to delegates to the 2002 Conference. This conference therefore instructs the National Retired Members Committee […]