Conference reaffirms our opposition to the sustained attack on local public services and the public service workers who deliver them – including brutal cuts to local government funding made by a Tory-led government pursuing an ideological agenda that rivals the Thatcher attack on councils in the 1980’s. Despite David Cameron saying councils were “officially the […]
Conference motions
Conference condemns the Tory-led Coalition Government’s plans to split the probation service to create a small national probation agency for England and Wales to manage high risk cases whilst leaving the majority of the work to the private sector. The plans would see the dismantling of the 35 current probation trusts, who will not be […]
Conference notes with concern the increasing number of trade union activists who are being victimised under this Tory-led government. We believe there will be an increasing number of victimised trade union reps, because we are at the forefront of defending the public sector from the cuts we all face. We must learn the lessons of […]
Conference notes: a) Many funded pension schemes include provision for member nominated trustees. b) The financial crisis has highlighted the need for appropriate oversight and responsible management of workers capital. c) Proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme are likely to extend the rights of workers to be represented on pensions committees; d) In […]
Currently no employer has a specific procedure for supporting workers mental health conditions and/or disabilities. Conference agrees that UNISON, as a union, should develop a good example of such a procedure, covering both temporary and long term hidden mental health conditions. In addition, that we will commit to work with employers to promote appropriate, quality […]
Conference notes that: a) The existing branch structure within the Environment Agency was established at the time that the Environment Agency was created and was based largely on water company boundaries. b) The structure of the Environment Agency has changed significantly since this time and concern has been expressed that certain bargaining groups are no […]
Conference fully supports the Unison campaign for transparency and better governance with regard to Local Authority Pension boards. It also supports the encouragement of Unison members to become Member Nominated Representatives (MNRs) on those boards. The performance of Pension funds are currently under review. Members of Local Government Pension Funds need a voice on these […]
Conference we acknowledge the success of the national celebration of teaching and classroom assistants, held on 29 November 2013. The day of celebration promoted the work teaching assistants (TAs) and classroom assistants do and the incalculable benefits they bring to pupils across the country. It is a glowing recognition of the high esteem that TAs […]
Conference notes that the UK is suffering from an acute housing crisis, with rents soaring and house building grinding to a halt as a direct result of the recession, whilst the number of new households is increasing faster than the number of new builds. Against a background of mounting debt across the country, huge numbers […]
Conference notes with massive concern the ongoing savage cuts in public expenditure as a result of the Tory-led coalition government’s dogmatic pursuit of its austerity agenda. These policies have already led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs across the public sector as a whole with estimates that the overall number of public […]
Conference deplores the continuing cuts to local government resulting in mass redundancies and cuts to all Council Services. No Council Service is safe from the threats of cuts in funding. The workforce faces mass redundancies, and for those who retain a job within the employer there is an onslaught of attacks on terms and conditions. […]
Conference views with alarm the increasing undermining of the employment law framework protecting members across the Service Group. Over half a million workers in local government and schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland alone earn below the Living Wage and many of these are employed on contracts with very few protected rights. We have […]
Conference notes that the Local Government Service Group’s pay consultation procedures were last revised by Conference in 2006. During that time, technological advances have meant that electronic means of voting and consultation are now available. Conference believes that the Service Group’s pay consultation procedures should enable the Service Group: 1)To consult all members in a […]
Conference notes in the last three years energy companies have increased their profits by 74%. Last year Npower alone announced a profit of £766 million, yet in the further pursuit of profit Npower announced 1,400 staff would be sacked. Conference further notes: 1)That at the same time a TUC report last year showed that over […]
All across the UK women have seen their standard of living fall since this government came to power. Their jobs and pay cut and the services they rely on severely affected by the Coalition government’s austerity measures. It is now more important than ever that UNISON as an organisation of women workers stands up for […]