Pension Rights

For decades hundreds of thousands of workers, mostly women, were denied the right to belong to their employers’ pension schemes, solely on the basis that they were part-time, consigning them to state benefits of years poverty income in their retirement years. The union welcomes the recent legal victory for 60,000 workers and the role the […]

UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights

Conference draws to the attention of the National Executive Council the 2002 report and recommendations of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Committee makes far reaching recommendations to the UK Government as a signatory of the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The recommendations of the Committee include: 1)the […]

Privatisation

The UK Government has committed to a course of privatisation of public services and the Treasury has also exerted pressure on devolved governments to follow suit. As a consequence the future of public services, our members who deliver them and the public who need them is in serious jeopardy. Conference notes that UNISON has been […]

Procurement and Equality

Conference declares that equality of opportunity and social inclusion should be a key feature of the public procurement process. Conference calls for the full integration of the statutory duty on race, including its extensive consultation requirements, to be mainstreamed into substantial procurement decisions and processes. We further call for a UNISON campaign to extend the […]

Employer Recognition of Branch Self- Organised Members’ Groups

Conference is concerned that employers do not recognise UNISON’s self-organised groups. As a result members are not allowed paid time off to attend meetings during work time. For the self-organised group this makes it difficult for members to get involved and to play an active part in trying to raise issues within UNISON. It is […]

Non-contribution to Pension Schemes by Employers

We note with concern the proposals currently being considered by this ‘Socialist Government’ that employees may be permitted to work to 70 in order to provide adequate pension provisions for their retirement! This comes against a background of over 200 companies closing their final salary scheme in 2002 alone, and the knowledge that Energy Companies […]

Right to Care Campaign

In November 2001, UNISON, with a number of other organisations, launched the Right to Care Campaign. The aims of the Campaign are as follows: 1)that the Government must introduce personal and nursing care that is free at the point of use and funded from general taxation; 2)that this care should be the entitlement of everyone, […]

Organising Young Members

Conference notes that young members are at present not represented at all levels of the union. Conference believes: 1) that the way forward to improve young people’s participation and membership is to incorporate young members to the very heart of the union by co-opting a young member on to the National Executive Council; 2)that the […]

Freedom and Justice for Samar and Jawad

Conference notes that: 1) Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh were wrongly convicted in 1996 of conspiracy to cause explosions in relation to the 1994 bombings of the Israeli Embassy and Balfour House and they were sentenced to 20 years; 2) a campaign to have the convictions overturned has achieved widespread support here and abroad, including […]

Rule F.1 List of Regions

Delete “13” and replace with “12” Delete “Southern”

Employment Rights for Women With Premature Babies

Under the current legislation, a woman giving birth to a premature baby that requires hospitalisation finds she has the same amount of maternity leave as the mother of a baby that can go home. Conference recognises the additional stress on mothers and their families trying to cope with babies who have yet to come home. […]

Housing Stock Transfer

Conference condemns the Government’s ‘Communities Plan’ released on 6 February 2003. This is effectively a plan to remove English local authority housing from local democratic control and transfer staff to a plethora of other employers. Conference notes that local authorities will only be able to choose three investment options: stock transfer; the Private Finance Initiative […]

English Regional Government

Conference notes publication in May 2002 by the Government of ‘Your Region – Your Choice – Revitalising the English Regions’. Conference re-affirms its general commitment to regional government and the potential offered by it to: 1)‘Draw down’ powers from central government and enhance local democracy 2)Democratise the ‘quango state’ and Government Offices in the regions […]

Privatisation and Fair Wages

Conference condemns the Government’s continuing push for privatisation of local government services. It notes that this has been accompanied by a failure to address either the weakness of the TUPE regulations or the broader problems of the two-tier workforce in privatised services. However, Conference, welcomes the Scottish Protocol on Public Private Partnerships which recommend that […]

Service Group Conference

This Conference supports the principle that consideration of prioritised motions should remain the primary function of Conference but also makes the following recommendations: 1)That participation in the prioritisation process be promoted 2)That conference time be allocated for a maximum of two external speakers of strategic importance to members in the local government service group 3)That […]