This conference notes the campaign by the Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy (CAPH) to end the barbaric practice Hysteroscopies being carried out in the NHS with inadequate or no offer of pain relief. As the CAPH point out, unlike NHS Colonoscopy or Gastroscopy procedures, women undergoing Hysteroscopy are NOT offered a safely monitored conscious sedation. The […]
Conference motions
Conference believes: 1)Retired members have been particularly hard hit by the cost-of-living crisis and in particular the massive increases in energy bills since April 2021 that has hit millions of people. 2. Retired members who are at home during the day have faced the impossible juggling act of trying to keep themselves warm and still […]
The Royal Mail has a long and proud history. It was founded in the Tudor period in 1516 when Henry VIII established a “Master of the Posts”. The Uniform Penny Post was established in 1840 and effectively the system continued to operate successfully until, 2013 when the decision was taken to privatise the Royal Mail […]
Yes, we acknowledge that some pensioners are millionaires and, yes, we acknowledge that some Government Ministers are millionaires or multi-millionaires. Whereas some pensioners, including our Unison retired members, are living in abject poverty, we have yet to find one Minister living in abject poverty. When your life is full of luxury, it may be difficult […]
The cost of living crisis on Ethnic Minority The cost of living crisis in the UK is disproportionality impacting on ethnic minority women workers, many of whom are part time workers. Black employees could see the hardest hit to their wage as inflation rates in the UK continue to surge. A report by the Womens […]
Conference notes that commitments to abortion and sexual health rights have been quietly removed by the Government from an international pack on freedom of belief and gender equality. (https://inews.co.uk/news/government-removes-commitment-women-abortion-rights-summit-freedom-beliefs-1750246) Conference, over the last few years we have seen repeated attacks on women’s abortion and sexual health rights across the globe. In amending the language to […]
Conference notes that the exponential rise in energy costs, the highest interest rates in decades and the staggering increases in the cost of food are having a massive impact on our members’ standard of living. Following a decade of austerity, below inflation pay awards and pay freezes, in work poverty is soaring. Poverty in the […]
Conference notes that Domestic Abuse is a workplace issue, with 1 in 3 women reporting domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime. Conference further notes a sharp increase in reported cases of domestic abuse throughout the pandemic. The cost of living crisis now means that the situation has deteriorated even further. It had previously […]
Conference notes the significant changes to working patterns and practices that have happened since the pandemic, including a large rise in remote and hybrid working. Conference believes greater flexibility should be welcomed where this works for staff – for example, some disabled workers may find more home working is a useful adjustment, and workers with […]
Conference notes the December 2021 government policy paper ‘Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy for England’, published after 100,000 women shared their personal experiences around the way the health and care system listens to women. The document looked at the approach to women’s health by putting women’s voices at the heart of this work. […]
Conference, the company, PwC, who are leaders in economic analysis in public and private sectors, recently highlighted in their Women in work index (https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/insights/women-in-work-index.html) a fact that we already know – that Women raising children pay a ‘motherhood penalty’ in underemployment, slower career progression, and lower lifetime earnings. The increased burden of unpaid childcare, borne […]
Conference believes the cost of living crisis has had a gendered impact, with the persistent effect of the gender pay gap and the higher likelihood that women are in part time or low-paid work. Conference notes the March 2022 research by the Living Wage Foundation which found that in addition to these inequalities, women are […]
Conference, on energy strategy, the government is leaving women in the cold. Women will shoulder some of the worst effects of soaring energy bills. Why doesn’t the government’s energy security statement do more for us? How much do low-income people spend on electricity and gas? According to an analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, low-income […]
Conference is concerned that UN Women’s data report in 2020 estimated women’s equality to be at risk of being set back 25 years due to the pandemic, and therefore reaffirms its commitment to improving women’s working conditions in order that we combat this rollback on progress. Conference notes that Close the Gap has reported that […]
Conference notes that a number of motions were passed at National Delegate Conference in 2022 on Violence Against Women. Too many public bodies are moving towards having an all encompassing fair treatment at work policy rather than individual polices focusing on specific issues like sexual harassment, racial discrimination etc. where the voices of marginalised groups […]