NHS Pay, Terms and Conditions

Conference congratulates branches and activists where there has been a significant completion of matching, evaluation and assimilation of jobs under Agenda for Change. The majority of NHS staff will have been assimilated by the end of March 2006 and all this work has been mostly completed in partnership between staff side and management side representatives […]

Marketisation of the NHS

Conference notes that government policy in all of the four UK countries has led to the continuing privatisation of NHS services. Conference recognises the escalating competitive commercial market that is developing and welcomes the work of UNISON in providing advice and guidance to its members on the implications of the Government’s policies of NHS marketisation. […]

Primary Care Campaign

The Department of Health’s plans to separate the provider and commissioning functions of Primary Care Trusts poses a massive threat to the future of the National Health Service. The next two years will be crucial in determining how primary care staff are employed and how primary care services are to be delivered. Conference recognises that […]

Food & Nutrition

This Conference notes that the Health Services in all four countries of the UK have set standards in respect of the nutritional content of patient food. However it is recognised that beyond the basic minimum standards, assessment of an individual patient’s nutritional needs appears to be very inconsistent and in some cases non existent. Another […]

Professional Indemnity

Conference notes the following: ·That all staff working in the NHS, including Agency Staff, are covered by NHS Indemnity. This means that NHS bodies are vicariously liable for the negligent acts and omissions of their employees and should have arrangements for meeting this liability. Under Common Law all employers, including voluntary organisations, are vicariously liable […]

NHS Crisis

This conference condemns the recent deluge of redundancies announced by Trusts across the country. In an indecent rush to balance the books, thousands of jobs have been lost in Staffordshire, Cornwall, London, Sussex, Plymouth, Leeds and NHS Direct to name just a few. We reject completely the statement made by the Prime Minister on April […]

Blood Service Reconfiguration

Following the announcement by Peter Garwood – Managing Director of the National Blood Service, on Monday 27th March 2006, Conference registers its opposition to the planned reconfiguration of blood centres in the South West and Bristol and the knock on affect to the Birmingham Centre. Conference is concerned that this process was outside of any […]

Future of NHS Pensions

Conference welcomes the agreement reached at the Public Services Forum between the TUC and Central Government which safeguards the principles and protection of the pensions rights of existing members of the NHS Pensions Scheme. Conference recognises the key role that UNISON played to reach that agreement in which the government honoured its pensions contract with […]

Women and Pensions

Conference recognises the current crisis surrounding pensions and all our futures upon retirement. We also recognise that for women the situation is far worse than that of men and are, therefore, grateful for the work that UNISON continues to do with the Fawcett Society on the inequality for women in our pensions systems. Conference welcomes […]

Rule Q Definitions

In Q Fair Representation Delete all and replace with “Fair representation is the broad balance of representation of members of the electorate, taking into account such factors as age and low pay, the balance between full time and part time workers, manual and non-manual workers, different occupations, skills, race, sexual orientation, disability and gender identity.”

Public Policy and the Promotion of Equality of Opportunity

Conference notes with concern the recent findings of the Commission for Racial Equality on the spectacular failure of government departments and public bodies to meet, in the most elementary way, the statutory duty on the promotion of racial equality. This failure impacts on UNISON members as service users and employees. Application of a similar but […]

Palestine and Israel

Conference welcomes the recent UNISON delegation to Palestine and Israel to see first-hand the reality of the situation on the ground and to discuss what support UNISON can give to our sister trade unions. Conference reaffirms policy adopted at National Delegate Conference in 2005. Conference notes that the political situation in both Palestine and Israel […]

Under Funding of Social Care

Conference believes that there is a great need for a review of the challenges and demands facing social care, and the resources that will be needed to deliver social care fit for the 21st century. Conference welcomes the current review by Sir Derek Wanless of social care for older people in England but regrets that […]

Trade Union Freedom Bill

Conferences recognises and welcomes the many individual rights introduced since 1997. However, Conference believes that the time is now right to progress from an individual rights agenda to one based on collective rights. With that in mind, Conference welcomes and supports the call for a Trade Union Freedom Bill. Conference recalls that 103 years ago, […]

Protecting our Environment and maintaining our energy supplies

Conference notes with concern that the overwhelming consensus of scientific opinion and research is that global warming and climate change represent one of the greatest risks to life on our planet. Conference notes with regret and deep concern that the steps taken by the United Kingdom (UK) Government and the devolved administrations since 1997 to […]