GATS and Public Services

Conference recognises that the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) aims to expose services world wide to competition, and is a real threat to public services in the UK. While GATS does not compel governments to liberalise, or privatise, services, there will be great pressure on them to do so. GATS is an ongoing […]

Invest in Council Housing/Decent Homes

Conference believes that decent affordable housing is a fundamental right of all citizens and is particularly concerned about the lack of supply of low cost quality homes for working people and their families in the United Kingdom. Conference notes that Government cannot now meet its Decent Homes Target of bringing all council housing up to […]

Public Service Reform

Conference recognises that the recent political debate has shifted, since the spending increases announced in 2002, from a question of extra funding to one of public service reform, with growing support for different varieties of new localism. However this debate has been marked more by rhetoric than either substance or vision. There is a contrast […]

The National Health Service

Conference welcomes the intention of the Government to increase the funding of the National Health Service (NHS) in England by 7.4 per cent in real terms over five years from 2003/4, and the Government’s stated intention of bringing UK health spending in line with the European average. This funding offers the NHS the opportunity to […]

Schedule A: Rates of Subscription – 1 Full Members

Delete from “There shall be ” to “lowest paid band” and replace with: “There shall be eleven income bands, each with different subscription rates as follows effective from 1 October 2003: Income from EmploymentWeekly SubscriptionsMonthly Subscriptions £ £ Band A: 0 – 2,0000.30 1.30 Band B: 2,001 – 5,0000.81 3.50 Band C: 5,001 – 8,0001.22 […]

Rule D.2.2.1 Regional Representatives

Delete “below” in all cases and replace with “Rule Q Definitions” Delete from “candidacy” to “job” Insert “low pay” before “reserved seat” in all cases RULE Q DEFINITIONS Insert new definition: “RESERVED LOW PAY SEATS are seats reserved for women members who earn below a defined basic hourly rate. This rate is uprated annually by […]

Rule D.3.1.1 Service Groups

Delete “Police Support Staff” and insert “Police Staff”

Schedule A: Rates of Subscription – 6.3 Retired Members

Add new sub-paragraph: “From 1 July 2003, members who are entitled to death benefit as a result of paying the reduced subscriptions due under the paragraph above will continue to be entitled to death benefit without the need to make any further subscription payments after that date.”

Schedule A: Rates of Subscription – 2 Full Membership

2.3, title, delete “and” and replace with “,” and add at end “and other unpaid leave.”

Rule C.2.3.2.1 Full Membership

Delete “or” and replace with “,” After “leave” insert “or other unpaid leave”

Rule D.3.4.9 Service Group Conference

After “motions” insert “and two amendments” Rule D.3.4.10 Service Group Conference After “motions” insert “and two amendments” Rule P.1.3.5 Standing Orders For Conferences Delete and insert new paragraph: “P.1.3.5Rule P.3.1 shall not apply. The bodies who may propose motions and amendments for the Conference shall be: each branch represented within the Service Group; the Service […]

Defend Council Housing

We welcome the success of the 29 January 2003 lobby for council housing and endorse the six demands put forward to stop privatisation and win investment without strings: 1)end all daylight robbery tax on tenants’ rents; 2)free councils to borrow for investment; 3)return all capital receipts to fund investment in our homes; 4)write-off all Housing […]

Rule P.14.1 Limit of Speeches

Delete “seven” and replace with “five”

Bullying in the Workplace

Conference recognises that UNISON has always been at the forefront of the campaign to eradicate bullying in the workplace for the simple reason that such unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated. With great regret Conference recognises the fact that, in spite of this campaign, incidences of bullying are still happening. Conference therefore reaffirms its total […]

Part – Time Workers

Conference notes: 1)the increase in the use of part-time workers by employers in the public sector; 2)that part-time work does provide an acceptable solution for some in the work-life balance; 3)that employers use part-time work not for the benefit of employees but for themselves in terms of greater flexibility predominantly amongst women workers often low […]