The Local Government Pension Fund (LGPS) and benefits must be defended and fought for as a key priority for UNISON. Unlike the other public sector schemes the LGPS obtains income from its investments. Therefore the governance and economic performance of the funds are critical to the survival of the benefits they deliver. Any detrimental changes […]
Conference motions
Conference applauds the dedicated work of public service workers throughout the country that has helped this country through a severe recession and provided a lifeline to countless families, businesses and individuals facing homelessness, bankruptcy, joblessness, poverty, or personal stress and poor health. Conference wishes to highlight again how crucial public services will be for supporting […]
Conference notes that alongside extra funding and improved levels of care, recent years have seen a continuation of government policies to extend the marketisation of the English NHS and to create a larger role for the private sector. It is highly likely that this trend will continue whatever the outcome of the 2010 general election. […]
Conference notes economists’ predictions that, after a year in which the UK economy shrank by more than five per cent, modest growth is expected for the first quarters of 2010. Unemployment (as measured by the International Labour Organisation) has reached 2.5 million and may continue to rise. Conference reiterates its condemnation of the financial system […]
Conference welcomes the fact that the issue of Palestine became a key international priority for the British trade union movement during 2009 following the unprecedented and disproportionate use of force by Israel against the people of Gaza. Conference notes the comprehensive policy on Palestine adopted by National Delegate Conference in 2009 and reiterates its support […]
Conference notes our own NJC campaign for better services and better jobs; that public spending is coming under further attack; and local government is bearing the brunt of these attacks. The union needs to mobilise to defend our members’ jobs and to protect services vital to our communities. Conference also notes the Public Works Campaign […]
Conference applauds Gordon Brown’s statement of commitment last year to the principle of the Tobin Tax and notes the immediate reaction from Boris Johnson in defence of an independent and greedy City which illustrated the determination of so many Tories to defend unfettered access to unlimited unearned income from the financial markets. The proposal to […]
Conference notes with concern that many employers have either introduced new draconian measures or have ‘tightened up’ existing procedures in an attempt to reduce rates of sickness absence. Many employers record, actively manage and pursue capability procedures against workers whose attendance is affected by illness. These measures often make little or no distinction between workers […]
Conference welcomes the support of the National Women’s Committee in addressing the issue of domestic abuse but there is further work to be done. This Conference calls on the National Women’s Committee to work with Regional Women’s Committees, the NEC and Service Groups to re-focus on the failure of many employers to develop workplace policies […]
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK. More than 45,500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and the disease causes almost 12,000 deaths each year. Eight in ten cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women over the age of 50. Black and Asian women are significantly more […]
This conference believes that domestic abuse training should become statutory in public sector organisations such as the Police, NHS, Local Government and Social Services and should become part of the workforce strategy. On average every week two women are killed in England and Wales by their partners or ex partners (Crime in England and Wales […]
The role of job sharing a post in an employer’s organisation or at Branch or Regional committee seems to work well for women and in the case of UNISON seems to be an effective tool to engage women from various Service Groups to become first interested then active lay members. It seems to fall down […]
Conference, every thirty four minutes a crime of rape is reported to the police. For every rape reported, many more are not reported. One in four local authorities has no specialised support services to help the victims of rape. Conference notes with dismay the Fawcett Society statement that there is a growing gap in rape […]
Conference, hear the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, speaking about Aung San Suu Kyi. “I think of my sister Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi every day. Her picture hangs on the wall of my office, reminding me that, thousands of miles away in Asia, a nation is oppressed. Every day I ask myself: have […]
In June 2009 a proposal to raise public funding to erect a monument to this positive black female pioneer and her significant achievements was aired on national television. The ambition to erect a statue of her “going forth”, to be sited in St Thomas’ Hospital grounds on the lawn opposite the Houses of Parliament, was […]