Conference welcomes the demise of the United Kingdom (UK) Conservative government, ending fourteen years of backward steps for LGBT+ equality. We also welcome concrete commitments from the new UK Labour government to equalise the law on hate crime by extending the aggravated offence regime to anti-LGBT+ hate crime, to reducing the huge waiting-lists for LGBT+ […]
Conference motions
The last Westminster government had a terrible record on trans rights, ranging from inappropriate jokes and comments to actively seeking to change the Equality Act 2010 to remove gender reassignment as a protected characteristic. The United Kingdom’s (UK) Conservative government’s final act before being voted out was to enact a ban on prescriptions of puberty […]
Pronouns and gender identity are fundamental aspects of a person’s identity. They are not just words or labels; they reflect how individuals see themselves and wish to be seen by others. For many, particularly those who are trans, non-binary, or gender diverse, the ability to choose their pronouns and gender identity is a crucial aspect […]
Five years remain until we reach 2030, and the UK goals of zero HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) stigma and zero new cases remain both tantalisingly close and yet still so far away. Last year in Liverpool, conference passed a motion – HIV has changed, but our employers don’t know this – that has kicked into […]
Conference welcomes the progress made in acknowledging that LGBT+ rights are human rights, including labour rights, with more countries adopting laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. However, even where legislation is in place, many LGBT+ workers face discrimination. For transgender and non–binary people, the picture is particularly bleak. Research shows they […]
Conference, we need to build on UNISON’S strong foundation of self-organisation. Moving forward in planning for next year’s campaigns, we need to grow the legacies the year of Black Workers 2023 and Year of LGBT+ Workers 2024. Within UNISON, Black LGBT+ voices have created a space that provides a focus on the organising and campaigning […]
Conference, the safety for LGBT+ people in public services is at stake. As LGBT+ rights gain momentum globally, many countries are pushing back with stringent legal measures. From the United States of America’s (USA) controversial laws to Uganda’s life-threatening penalties, the battle for our rights has increased in visibility and is far from over. We […]
Conference welcomes the new ace (asexual) and aro (aromantic) network that the national LGBT+ committee has established, called ‘The A-Spec Network’. This is believed to be the first trade union network for all those who identify under the asexuality umbrella in the United Kingdom’s (UK) trade union movement. Conference also welcomes the factsheet and awareness […]
Conference notes that despite the achievements of the national LGBT+ committee, our strong self organised group, and the successes in raising the profile of LGBT+ workers through the last year, the reality for many members is that our workplaces are unfit for our needs. Conference notes that the TUC survey of LGBT+ Workplace Experiences 2023 […]
A unique strength of UNISON is the key role played by the self-organised groups – women, Black members, disabled members and LGBT+ members. UNISON provides us with the opportunity to bring the whole of ourselves into our workplaces and our activism. Self-organised groups are a foundation for activism, pushing UNISON forward in the campaign for […]
Conference celebrates our union’s rich history of international work and the increased importance of having a global perspective in many areas of our work. Conference recognises that UNISON’s LGBT+ group also has a strong tradition and practice of undertaking international work and regularly engages with and plays an important role within ILGA World (International lesbian, […]
Conference notes the eroded rights of LGBT+ disabled workers over the past decade, exacerbated by austerity measures, inadequate policies and continued attack over the last 14 years by the United Kingdom (UK) Tory government. The incoming UK Labour government’s commitment to social justice and equality, provides a crucial opportunity to address these issues. UNISON has […]
Conference welcomes the new United Kingdom (UK) Labour government and hopes that this will be a new era for our LGBT+, Black, disabled and women members. LGBT+ people did not fare well under the last UK government. In the 2024 ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index, the UK was 15th scoring 51.88%, with a poor record on asylum […]
Conference will recall that on Trans Day of Remembrance in 2017 we launched our model trans equality policy. This was designed to challenge transphobia in our workplaces. In 2022, we launched our successful trans equality campaign which featured heavily in our Year of the LGBT+ Workers campaign. Despite attacks from the media and politicians, our […]
Conference notes that the rulebook, as amended at the 2023 national delegate conference contains aims and objectives, sections on union democracy and antidiscrimination policies and yet in Rule Q definitions there are no clear definitions of transphobia, biphobia, homophobia or acephobia. ILGA-Europe (The European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) […]