Bargaining for good Mental Health policies in Police and Justice workplaces

Conference notes that our workplaces are changing, with members in Police and Justice facing increased workloads as targets are raised year on year and working conditions often deteriorating when services are privatised. These pressures have made the importance of ensuring good mental health in our workplaces clear. At least one in four of us will […]

Police Staff Council Pay and Reward Review Part 2

Conference welcomes the start of work on the Police Staff Council Pay and Reward Review Part 2. Conference notes that: 1)The terms of reference for Part 2 of the Review cover how police staff basic pay is determined and administered by forces, the relationship between police staff pay and workforce reform in the widest sense […]

Suspension is not a Neutral Act

Conferences notes with concern that UNISON members who are under investigation by their force or the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) appear to be facing longer periods of suspension for misconduct reasons, where they are removed from their workplace, isolated from their colleagues and generally left to look after their own welfare and mental […]

Flexible working

Conference notes that the right to request flexible working was extended to all employees in 2014. However, the experience of reps and members within the energy sector is that many employers are only prepared to agree to flexible working patterns for certain groups of staff, and then only on limited terms. Further, new shift working […]

Campaigning for quality clinical placements

The abolition of the NHS bursary in England took effect on 1 August 2017. The 2017 Health Conference called on the Health Service Executive Group to “monitor the quality of placements if there are additional training places” among other things. Conference notes that the finalisation of the funding arrangements for clinical placements in England happened […]

Agile or Fragile? Impact of Hot-desking on NHS Staff

Conference notes that NHS Employers are moving more towards agile working. The argument for implementing agile working is to increase productivity and to save money in the face of massive Cost Improvement Programmes forced on to NHS organisations. Conference understands that where agile working is implemented and driven as a measure to cut costs it […]

No role for private consultants in Job Evaluation

Bucks Health Care & Community has recognised that there is an inequality in pay banding across the NHS. Many NHS workers are doing similar roles in trusts for different pay; these differences can even be in neighbouring NHS Trusts. The inequality in pay banding becomes more apparent when the job role does not fit the […]

TACKLING THE UNDERFUNDING CRISIS IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE.

UNISON Health Conference notes: 1)The alarming news that the government is encouraging councils to increase council tax in an attempt to fund massive funding gap in health and social care provision. 2)The King’s Fund has reported that the share of GDP spent on health has dropped from 8.8% in 2009, to 7.3% in 2014/15, and […]

Supporting members through service transformation

Conference notes that across the UK there are a number of current initiatives seeking to bring about service transformation. These include, but are not limited to, Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) in England, the ten year vision for health and social care based on the Bengoa report in Northern Ireland, and further moves towards more […]

Thames Valley Cost of Living campaign

This Conference notes that NHS pay has not kept up with the cost of living. With a fall in pay of approximately 10-12% many regions are having major staffing and recruitment problems. Especially in London and the South East where the cost of living tends to be much higher. For example, Oxfordshire is the most […]

Effect of NHS Trust Organisational Change and the Impact for Agenda for Change

In today’s climate, within the NHS, changes are constantly happening to turn it into a profit making business, and mergers, staff reductions, and other distressing actions have all occurred. Consultations with staff appear to take place on an ad-hoc basis and lack full and meaningful discussions and negotiation. Staff experience new challenges on an almost […]

Stand-by Rules Take Advantage of Members

Conference recognises the difficulties that Forces are having in maintaining 24 hour operational cover as a direct consequence of police budget cuts. Many departments have experienced redundancies coupled with an increase in the use of stand-by as a way to provide night-time cover when unsocial enhancements have been withdrawn. Colleagues such as Crime Scene Investigators […]

Survey of branches and members – disability related matters

Conference, in years past much welcomed legislation has been introduced to protect the rights of people with disabilities, including protections relating to work. Despite that, it is possible that these supportive words don’t always translate to the workplace, resulting in our colleagues who are disabled being treated inappropriately or less favourably. Others who witness such […]

Volunteers – Policing on the Cheap

Conference welcomes and commends the work done by the Service Group Executive over recent years to oppose volunteers as a replacement for the committed, experienced, well trained and accountable police staff lost due to the brutal budget cuts imposed since 2010. While the introduction of volunteers has not been consistent throughout all forces, what is […]

Black worker representation in police and justice workforces

According to police force recruitment statistics widely published in January 2016 a white applicant to the police force has a better chance of getting a job than a Black applicant in more than 2/3rds of UK forces. Further, Theresa May, Home Secretary stated that ‘diversity profiles’ showed no force had a Black representation reflecting the […]