UNISON Commitment to the Environment

Conference welcomes the environmental campaign work that UNISON has undertaken over the previous year. Our union has a strong record on the environment, which has included both work place specific activities, such as negotiating green travel plans, cycle to work schemes and re-cycling facilities, and support for national and international campaigns, such as the call […]

Organising Migrant Workers in the UK

Conference applauds the work that UNISON has done recently in respect of organising, representing, protecting and supporting migrant workers. Conference calls on UNISON to continue its positive response to inward migration, and to take this opportunity to recruit and organise these, often vulnerable, workers. UNISON has provided recruitment and information materials in several languages, set […]

Marketisation of Public Services

Conference believes that the marketisation of public services threatens the advances that have been made in the last 10 years, brought about as a result of a major investment and reform programme resulting in a dramatic cut in NHS waiting lists and waiting times, rising school standards, falling crime, safer communities and improvements in local […]

Organising and Recruiting

Conference believes the priority for UNISON is to organise and grow and eventually become a union of two million public service members because unless we grow in numbers and density we cannot grow in influence with employers, the government and other agencies. A growing union is the most effective way of improving the working lives […]

Review of Branch and Service Group Structures

Conference approves the recommendations contained in the National Executive Council’s report on the Review of Branch and Service Group Structures: Recommendation 1. National Executive Council (NEC) to produce a revised scheme as per rule G 1.2 to ensure that branches: a)give members a right to participate in their union; b)give members a right to be […]

Attacks on Public Sector Workers: Violence Against Staff

The Emergency Workers (Obstruction) Act 2006 now provides greater protection in law for all emergency workers. A person guilty of an offence under this Act is liable on summary conviction to a fine. The Act follows the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 which made it a specific offence to assault, obstruct or hinder someone providing […]

Access to Work

Conference welcomes the intention of the government to give greater assistance for disabled people and those suffering ill health who seek access to work. However it notes with concern that part of the government’s plans for the reform of Incapacity Benefit and replacement by an Employment and Support Allowance involve A) the potential for sanctions […]

Rise of BNP

Conference notes the: 1)rise of the British National Party (BNP) in the West Midlands and across the country; 2)joint work carried out with Searchlight and Unite Against Fascism (UAF) in campaigning against the BNP; 3)positive steps forward in working with other trade unions and establishing local activists and neighbourhood activities to combat the BNP; 4)establishment […]

Sickness Absence Procedures

Conference notes that: 1)employers are adopting increasingly Draconian procedures which allow for an increase in the disciplining and dismissal of genuinely ill employees; 2)these procedures sometimes fail to abide by equalities legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act; 3)sickness absence can often be traced back to the workplace; 4)employers’ actions such as holding vacant posts, increased […]

Employment Rights

Conference welcomes the new individual employment rights for 2007 but believes that there needs to be a fresh push for an increase in collective trade union rights. In particular, Conference notes the extension of the Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) regulations for undertaking with greater than 100 employees and the following parts of the […]

Public Services

This is a time of unprecedented change in public services. The government’s reform of our public services seldom translates into anything other than a liberalisation agenda, with markets opened up to the private sector on the false premise that there will be more choice for the ‘consumer’, namely user of public services. The evidence of […]

Psychometric Testing – a Barrier to Discriminate Black People

UNISON welcomes the efforts made so far by councils, the National Health Service, and other public service providers in Great Britain, who have committed themselves, to fully implement and mainstream equality. In claiming equality of opportunity and fairness, many public service providers use psychometric tests as part of their selections and recruitment process for technical, […]

Support for Black Members’ and Activists

Conference reaffirms UNISON’s reliance on active stewards/officers in all workplaces, covering all groups of members, for organising and delivering for members. Therefore support given to stewards/officers to enable them to do their job must be a central priority at all levels within the union. It is noted that such volunteer representatives give considerable commitment, often […]

Challenging Racism: Challenging Islamophobia

Conference notes that data from the census reveals that Muslim communities face disproportionate disadvantage compared to other groups: the highest rate of unemployment, the poorest health, and the highest levels of disability. This was confirmed in TUC’s 2005 report which highlighted that 69% of Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities live below the poverty line. Research by […]

International Work

Conference welcomes UNISON’s high priority given to international work. This is consistent both with our commitment to oppose war, poverty, oppression and exploitation wherever it arises. However, in a world dominated by the ‘globalisation of capital’, it is also a matter of vital importance to all our members that conditions of workers around the world […]