Violence at Work

This Conference notes the sterling work done by UNISON Scotland in: • surveying violence at work over a twelve year period • campaigning for Zero Tolerance of all workplace assaults; and, • securing the Emergency Workers (Scotland) act 2005 which gives key public sector workers added legal protection Conference notes that this detailed recording of […]

Higher Education as a Service Group

Conference notes that: 1)The Higher Education (HE) Service Group is one of the seven service groups of UNISON. (The website quotes “Higher education – including teaching and support staff” 2)Members of HE within UNISON have a proud record of sharing experiences and learning the lessons of victories and defeats, despite some historic differences between pre […]

Reinvigorating Recruitment through Positive Policies on Free Education

Conference notes that: 1)The recent Labour leadership campaign, as a result of Jeremy Corbyn’s inclusion in the ballot and overwhelming victory, provided fresh opportunities for the labour movement and progressive forces to debate the way forward. 2)Central to the Corbyn campaign was a commitment to free education and abolition of higher education tuition fees. 3)This, […]

Low pay in the community sector

Conference notes with concern that cuts to local authority budgets are impacting on the salaries of our members in the community sector. This is particularly a problem in the care sector, where the majority of employees are low paid women. There is evidence that, in some cases, the terms offered by commissioners are so low […]

Fair treatment for workers in the community and voluntary sector

Conference notes with concern the growth of poor working practices in the community and voluntary sector. Increasingly the sector is providing support for those who the statutory agencies are unable to help, or where there is no government/local authority priority or duty to provide care. However, cuts in funding – both from government sources and […]

Voter Registration – Don’t let Students lose their Voice

Conference notes the following: 1)That the previous coalition government passed the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013, which made provision for Individual Electoral Registration (IER). This will replace the previous electoral registration system, whereby one person was responsible for registering the entire household. 2)That the Tory government elected in May 2015 intends to pursue boundary […]

Don’t Do A Clegg!

Conference has long stood against the tuition fee model in higher education which has been used to marketise our workplaces, eroding terms and conditions, whilst unfairly burdening millions of young people with extraordinary debt. Conference notes that, as well as tuition fees being set to continue at £9,000 per year, and rise with inflation, the […]

Women, the refugee crisis and trafficking

Conference notes that Refugees from Syria’s civil war, which is in its fifth year, has killed around 250,000 people, forced 3.98 million to flee the country, and internally displaced around 7.6 million people. The prospect of a better life in Europe has driven many to make the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean. Thousands have died […]

Rights of Working Age Disabled Women

Conference believes all disabled women should be supported and enabled to get or maintain gainful employment and career progression. There are numerous layers that impact upon disabled women when attempting to get or maintain gainful employment. These include: • Caring responsibilities (children and older relatives); • Accessible support to manage their disability(ies); • Financial constraints […]

Removal of Housing Benefit for Young Women

Conference believes that it is a human right for everyone to have access to a safe, secure and affordable home. Conference also believes that this Tory Government live in some alternative idyllic world where all young people live with their parents until they move onto university, before getting a job and moving into their own […]

It needs to stop

Conference welcomes the motions passed on domestic violence and abuse at both women’s and National Delegate conferences 2015 and believe they give the union a great platform to campaign and fight for women’s rights. Conference is aware that this work is ongoing for the union and the national women’s committee, and calls upon the national […]

Pro women pro choice

Conference welcomes UNISON’s policy on the ‘Right to Chose’. Pregnant women have the right to obtain treatment and advice in confidence free from harassment and intimidation. Conference is concerned about the increase in groups such as “Abort 67” in recent years that target abortion clinics with the intention to harass and intimidate women, who are […]

ENGAGING WOMEN FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR UNION

Conference notes that we are facing ever harsher attacks on our pay, terms and conditions, benefits and living standards. We are expected to do more for less, covering unfilled and deleted posts, while services we rely on disappear and housing costs spiral. As always, women bear the brunt of it. Under the Tory government, our […]

WOMEN AND WORKPLACE DRESS CODES

Conference notes that many women workers do not wish to dress in accordance with gendered stereotypes of what is ‘appropriate women’s dress’. Yet some employers continue to have dress codes with a number of gender-specific requirements. Conference believes that arguments that some forms of gender expression are unprofessional, or societal norms dictate that certain items […]

Women’s rights are human rights

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights Conference, the recent decision by Amnesty International to work towards full decriminalisation of the sex trade has disappointed women’s groups across the world. As the world’s most prominent human rights organisation we would not expect Amnesty International to prioritise the rights of pimps and punters over the rights of women, […]