TOWARDS A SUFFICIENT PENSION FOR ALL WOMEN

This conference recognises that it is a long established fact that women with caring responsibilities may suffer a detriment when they retire because of a reduction in pension. For many years, women’s choice has been between having a career and a comfortable retirement or raising their own children and being poor in retirement. Some women […]

THE DISCRIMINATION LAW REVIEW AND THE GENDER EQUALITY DUTY

This Conference notes that the Government is committed to introducing a Single Equality Act in this Parliament. The Government launched the Discrimination Law Review in February 2005 with the task of undertaking a comprehensive review of discrimination legislation, making recommendations that would simplify and modernise the law and ensuring better enforcement and compliance. Conference supports […]

OSTEOPOROSIS

Conference notes that two in five women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis, although it affects people of all ages. Despite this condition affecting around 40% of women over the age of 50 only 30% of NHS trusts offer automatic bone scanning to women following breaking a bone. Therefore […]

The Bicentenary of the Transatlantic “Slave Trade” Legacy

Conference will be aware that 2007 was the year of commemorating the beginning of the end of enslavement of Afrikan people. There was a wide range of remembrance events taking place in the UK. Many, however, missed the fact that it was only the transatlantic trade that ended 200 years ago. This probably increased the […]

Commisson for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR)

The Equality Act 2006 dissolved the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission; to make provision about discrimination on grounds of religion or belief; to enable provision to be made about discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation; to impose duties relating to sex discrimination on persons performing public functions; […]

Use of Disciplinary Procedure Against Black Staff

This National Black Members’ Conference notes that there is a disproportionate amount of Black members and black UNISON activists who are subject to disciplinary procedures and victimisations within the workplace. This leads to the question of whether disciplinary procedures are being applied fairly and equally to all staff. A consequence of this is that the […]

Barriers to Progression and Promotions for Black Employees

This NBMC is deeply concerned that Black workers experience severe disadvantage in job promotion and career progression prospects. In line with UNISON’s objective of negotiating and bargaining on behalf of members and promoting equality, this NBMC asks NEC to work with the National Black Members’ Committee to: 1)Produce a report which collates statistics from each […]

Review of UNISON Structures

At UNISON National Delegate conference in 2007 held in Brighton, Motion 12 – Under Participation and Headed “Black Members Self Organised Group – Possible Name Change” suggested that the title “Black Members Self Organised Group” was no longer adequate to reflect the ethnic diversity of our membership and could even prevent workers from Eastern European […]

End the Occupation of Iraq: Don’t Attack Iran

Conference notes that four years after the invasion of Iraq, the US-led occupation has had a horrific human cost on Black people, including the deaths of 655,000 Iraqis, and 3,352 US and 147 British troops. The past year has seen violence escalate to unprecedented levels. The occupation has been brutal, with the use of chemical […]

Solidarity with Venezuela

Conference notes that President Hugo Chavez’s government in Venezuela has introduced a number of inspiring social reforms since his first election in 1998. Previously, despite Venezuela’s oil wealth, 80% of the population, mostly people of African, indigenous Indian and mixed-race origin, lived below the poverty line without access to basic services. Now, for the first […]

Opposing Racist Attacks and Violence

Conference notes that rising racism creates an increasingly dangerous climate for all Black, Jewish and other minority communities. Despite the most common form of racist crime being harassment and verbal abuse, some Black people tragically are victim to violent attack. Between 2002-2005 government figures show 23 racially motivated murders in Britain. And yet, many racist […]

Taking Action Against Climate Change

Climate change is the single greatest threat to the future development of humanity. It is estimated that by the year 2100, average temperatures will have risen by six degrees, if governments fail to act in the next ten years there will be catastrophic consequences in the future. The results of such climate change will be […]

Stop the BNP

Conference notes the British National Party (BNP) is a fascist organisation that denies the Holocaust and multiculturalism. It stands for creating an all white Britain, the destruction of trade unions and the elimination of basic democratic rights. The BNP has 49 councillors and polled a record 292,911 votes in May 2007. The May 2008 London […]

Tackling Racism in Schools

Conference notes that education at all ages is essential to empower ourselves and challenge racism in society. In most cases school is the first introduction to formal education. The government has revealed that the number of pupils excluded on the grounds of racist bullying rose by 29% between 2004 and 2005. There are concerns that […]

Stop Scapegoating Muslims

Conference notes that in a context of rising racism against all Black communities Muslims have been particularly singled out and targeted. The largest project monitoring Islamophibia undertaken following the events of September 11 by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) in 2002 published the “Summary report on Islamophibia in the EU”. The […]