Conference notes with concern the deepening crisis in the electricity sector of the liberalised energy market. This has been demonstrated by 1.The near financial collapse of British Energy which has required the Government to provide guarantees to creditors and institute emergency legislation to ensure the continued operation of the company. 2.The financial difficulties faced by […]
Conference motions
Conference notes with concern the trend towards the centralisation of ‘white collar’ jobs in the largest of the multi-national bus companies such as Firstgroup, Stagecoach and Arriva. Conference regards these trends as predictable consequences of the companies’ growth and diversification over the last ten years or so. The creation of centralised financial services and the […]
This Water and Environment Service Group Conference notes that the National Consumer Council (NCC) is calling for regional charging policies, which could include compulsory metering in areas of water shortage. We call upon UNISON’s (National) Water and Environment Service Group Executive to enter into early dialogue on this issue with the NCC to discuss whether […]
Conference welcomes the publication of the Water Bill in February 2003 and instructs the Water and Environment Service Group Executive to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that the interests of employees are safeguarded and reflected in the primary legislation and any associated secondary legislation, codes of practice etc.
Conference notes that a recent study of Water Poverty in England and Wales estimates that 19% of households are in water poverty which is defined as the need to spend 3% or more of household disposable income on water bills. There is also widespread evidence that the level of water bill debt is rising. According […]
Conference notes the introduction of P.E.C’s (Practitioners in Emergency Care). Conference also notes that: ·The present system encourages young, inexperienced graduates to become Paramedic Practitioners. This is an unsafe method of introducing additional staffing into the Ambulance Service; ·Budgetary concerns, funding and resource management issues mean that existing staff are denied the opportunity to access […]
Following the advice we received last year regarding the non-payment of enhancements when Nurses are sick due to an injury at work. It seems that Management and Staff Side have conflicting views. We insist that the SGE raise this issue with our Legal Department and the Department of Health as a matter of urgency, so […]
Conference welcomes the introduction of the National Care Standards Commission and the duty it has to raise standards across residential and nursing home care for people with learning disabilities and mental health illness. However, we have serious concerns about the way in which the Commission appears to have failed to consult with UNISON on a […]
Overseas Nurses are being let down by poorly designed and ill administered adaptation courses, particularly so in the field of mental health. The lack of national standards for adaptation programmes has resulted in many agencies offering so called adaptation programmes, which do not equip the nurse with the knowledge or skills to practice at a […]
This conference is extremely concerned to note the continuing and increasing incidence of assaults on Ambulance Staffs. It welcomes the Government’s zero tolerance campaign aimed at reducing violence towards NHS staffs in general, but notes that frontline Ambulance Staffs remain particularly and unacceptably vulnerable. It therefore calls for a greater degree of consistency of approach […]
This conference notes the failure of successive Governments and NHS employers to introduce an early retirement position for frontline Ambulance staffs. It notes that nearly 70 per cent of these staffs retire by the age of 55 because of work-associated ill health and burnout. Many of these staffs are incapable of finding alternative employment as […]
Conference notes that on 1 December 2003, Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations will come into force. Conference welcomes the new legislation, which will make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation in employment and training. From this date, there will at last be an equivalent level of protection against discrimination and harassment on […]
Conference welcomes the provisions of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 which place a positive duty on all public health bodies to eliminate unlawful discrimination, and promote equality of opportunity and good race relations in all their functions. Conference believes that these provisions should be extended to cover all discrimination grounds to give a legislative […]
The issue of staff involvement has never been more important. The NHS is undergoing a radical shift in both structure and culture as it moves the balance of power from the centre to the frontline. If we are to succeed in moving decision making to frontline staff, we need to ensure that we have effective […]
This Conference notes with serious concern the Government’s plans for a new financial framework within the NHS, as outlined in the DOH consultation document, NHS Financial Flows – Introducing Payments By Results. These proposals set out plans to fundamentally change the way that funds flow through the NHS. They will have profound and potentially serious […]