2+2 – INCREASING THE NUMBER OF MOTIONS WE CAN PUT TO NATIONAL DELEGATE CONFERENCE

Conference notes that at present self-organised groups (as well as regions, the Young Members’ Forum and Retired Members) are only permitted to submit a total of two motions (including any rule amendments) to National Delegate Conference. Conference also notes that a proposal to increase this to four motions was defeated at National Delegate Conference in […]

FUTURE COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

Conference congratulates all activists on achieving the rule change at this year’s National Delegate Conference and welcomes the opportunity to meet at this, our first LGBT conference. Conference notes the interim LGBT committee structure as reported to last year’s Lesbian and Gay conference i.e. 24 regional representatives (1 female, 1 general from each region), 5 […]

CONFRONTING ISLAMOPHOBIA

Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, there has been an increase in racist incidents and Islamophobia as a result of a neo-conservative strategy, on a world scale, to provoke a new cold war between the west and Islam and pursue an aggressive military policy in the Middle East. Conference is concerned that this […]

INCREASING POSITIVE LESBIAN PARTICIPATION WITHIN UNISON LGBT SELF-ORGANISED GROUPS AND THE NATIONAL LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER COMMITTEE

Conference is deeply concerned about the low level of positive Lesbian participation within UNISON and the lack of Lesbian proportionality within the LGBT SOGs and the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Committee. Some groups of lesbians are particularly under-represented, including black and disabled lesbians. UNISON has over one million women members, research suggests that […]

PROPORTIONALITY AND FAIR REPRESENTATION

Conference, in its awareness of UNISON’s rules on proportionality and fair representation, expresses its dismay and frustration at the continuing under-representation of women in this Self-Organised Group (SOG). Conference therefore welcomes the revised guidance that, where a branch sends two or more delegates, the proportion of women and men in the delegation must reflect their […]

Disability Equality Duty

Conference warmly welcomes the new disability equality duty that is due to come into force in December 2006, we believe this will provide UNISON with a great new organising tool as well as the opportunity to challenge disability discrimination at work and within public services. It is a strengthened version of the race duty – […]

Commission for Equality and Human Rights

Conference welcomes the progress made on the introduction of a single Commission for Equality and Human Rights(CEHR). However Conference is very concerned that there are still no plans to introduce legislation relating to the CEHR’s powers, constitution, terms of reference and details of the various strands and their link to each other. Conference is also […]

Prescription Charges and Exemptions

Conference congratulates the Welsh Assembly in agreeing to eliminate the charges that the people of Wales pay for prescription charges. Already reduced to £4 per prescription item, and in the lifetime of the current Welsh Assembly there is commitment to having free prescriptions in Wales by the end of 2006. Conference notes that there are […]

Amnesty for Illegal Workers to End Exploitation

Conference notes: 1)there are many thousands of paperless workers out there, without whose work the economy would grind to a standstill; 2)paperless workers are the invisible engine room of twilight London. No Londoner can easily escape involvement in this exploitation. Paperless workers serve us meals in restaurants, clean our hospitals, our hotels, streets and tube […]

Social Worker Registration

Social workers are now required to register with the General Social Care Council in order to practice legally, and this registration has to be renewed every three years. In so doing they have to complete extensive registration documents that amongst other things ask personal questions within a medical declaration that includes disability status. When completing […]

The Social Model of Disability

Many UNISON disabled members that could potentially disadvantage them in the workplace do not identify their individual access requirements. The Disability Discrimination Act definition of a disabled person has recently been extended to define people with MS, HIV and cancer as disabled from a point of diagnosis. We welcome this legislative change as a signal […]

Developing a UNISON Vision for the NHS

Conference notes that, despite the record levels of investment going into the National Health Service (NHS), many NHS patients and staff are failing to experience the improvements that should be occurring. Too often, there exists a gap between the rhetoric about the positive changes that are supposed to be taking place in the NHS and […]

NO2ID

Conference calls upon the government to immediately cease all further development of, and legislation for, national identity cards and the National Identity Register. Conference further welcomes the decision of the Scottish Executive not to make ID cards compulsory for accessing devolved public services. We believe the proposals constitute an attack on individual rights and freedoms. […]

Repeal of Political Fund Review Ballot Legislation

Conference welcomes the overwhelming vote of UNISON members by 85 per cent to retain UNISON Political Fund, and further notes that virtually every union which has been obliged to hold a review ballot in the last year has secured a decisive majority in favour of retention of a political fund. For most unions this represents […]

Restructuring of Public Services and UNISON Organisation

Conference notes that since 1993, when UNISON was established, the delivery of public services in the United Kingdom (UK) has been subject to widespread change and restructuring. The impact of change has been felt union-wide but in diverse ways with some services being more closely integrated, for example further and higher education, whilst others have […]