Amendments to Pay Consultation Procedures

This Conference agrees to the following amendments to the Pay Consultation Procedures agreed by the 2002 Local Government Service Group Conference: 8e – Regions – Add after first sentence – “Regions shall be encouraged to hold delegate meetings for branches covered by the pay offer, in order to debate the proposals and how to encourage […]

The Disability Equality Duty and Local Government

This Local Government Conference welcomes the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 which will impose a new Disability Equality Duty on local authorities from December 2006. We believe these duties could help reconstruct a barrier free society and provide equality of opportunity for the millions of disabled people who are in work or wanting work in local […]

Children’s and Young People’s Services

Conference notes the continued prevalence of bi-, homo- and trans-phobic bullying among children and young people and the continued absence, largely, of a positive image of Lesbians, Gay men, Bisexuals and Trans (LGBT) people from children’s and young people’s services. Conference believes that all schools, playgrounds, youth clubs, children’s homes etc. should be safe and […]

Positively Promoting Disability Equality

This Conference notes: 1)That since 2001, all public bodies have – with the passing of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 – a legal duty to positively promoted race equality. This mandate applies to all bodies operating in the Local Government Service Group who provide services to the public; 2)That from 5 December 2005, the […]

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER MEMBERS – STRONGER TOGETHER

Conference celebrates the formation of UNISON’s new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Self-Organised Group. Conference congratulates the National LGBT Committee, and all Regional and Branch Activists, on the success of our campaign. Conference applauds the huge effort involved in realising this goal, and thanks all participants for their thorough and professional work and support on […]

ADOPTION LAWS

Conference notes the fact that the law on adoption by same sex couples adopting has been changed in England and Wales and congratulates the Scottish Executive on it’s review of adoption law in Scotland and its proposals to allow same sex couples to adopt children and to allow same sex step parent adoption. The proposals […]

TRADES UNION CONGRESS GENERAL COUNCIL

Conference considers it to be a fundamental characteristic of trades unionism that workers choose their own delegates from among themselves and the delegates be accountable to the bodies that elected them. Within UNISON, proportionality, fair representation and self-organisation have developed this characteristic further than in most unions. Conference therefore welcomes how the Trades Union Congress’s […]

LOCAL AUTHORITY IMPLEMENTATION OF CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS

Conference celebrates the fact that the Civil Partnership Act 2004 will be brought into force on 5th December 2005. For the first time same-sex couples will be able to make a formal, legal commitment to each other. Conference, however, takes note of some Local Authorities who, whilst willing to carry out registrar/registry office ceremonies for […]

AMENDMENT TO STANDING ORDER 2.7

In SO2.7, delete “one lesbian and one gay man” and replace with “at least one of whom shall be a woman”.

AMENDMENT TO STANDING ORDERS

Delete the phrase “Lesbian and Gay” wherever it appears and substitute the phrase “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender”.

BLOOD DONORS

This conference notes that the purpose of the blood services in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is to provide a safe and adequate supply of blood. Screening of blood donors for HIV is necessary for the safety of the blood supply because the available tests for screening donated blood for HIV are not infallible, […]

MONITORING OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY BY EMPLOYERS

Conference welcomes the growing recognition of the need to combat discrimination against LGBT workers and the agreements reached with some employers to integrate work towards LGBT equality into their equality programmes. Conference notes that the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 introduced a requirement on public authorities to monitor workers’ ethnicity, as part of the statutory […]

EQUALITY BILL – THE NEED TO CAMPAIGN FOR INCLUSIVE PROVISIONS COVERING DISCRIMINATION IN GOODS, FACILITIES AND SERVICES

Conference welcomes the news that the Equality Bill was passed in the House of Lords on 9 November 2005 and that it allows the government to bring forward regulations to outlaw discrimination in the provision of goods and services for LGB people as well as outlawing discrimination in goods, facilities and services on the grounds […]

GAY AND LESBIAN HUMANIST ASSOCIATION

Conference is deeply disturbed by the Autumn edition of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) magazine, which contains a number of statements which can be interpreted as Islamophobic and racist. The headline on the front cover was “The sick face of Islam”. One article demonised immigrants stating: `our major towns and cities being for […]

ACCESS TO CONFERENCE AGENDA PAPERS ON UNISON WEBSITE

Conference expresses its concern at the late publication of the Preliminary Agenda for our Conference this year. Conference believes that having the preliminary agenda available for regional and branch group meetings is helpful in allowing democratic decision making and the submission of amendments etc. Conference further notes that a decision has also been taken that […]