INQUIRY INTO THE FINANCIAL REPORTING COUNCIL

Conference notes the view of the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum that the Financial Reporting Council has been too cosy with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Big Four accountancy firms. This is set against a background of growing concerns about the state of the accounting and auditing professions after a string of […]

The Impact of Sustainability and Transformation Plans on Older People

Conference notes with alarm the disproportionate effect on older people with dementia of inadequate and deteriorating provision of Social care and health services for example: 1) Research has found that older people with dementia are largely the ones using hospital A& E Services or being admitted because of poor or unavailable social care provision; 2) […]

Power of Attorney – Advocacy and Ombudsman Service

This Conference endorses UNISON’s Retired Members’ policy to promote Powers of Attorney to safeguard older persons’ interests in the event of them becoming unable to handle their own affairs. When there is a dispute or misunderstanding between the two or more people holding the Power of Attorney or between the Attorney and the donor , […]

Easier Access to Powers of Attorney

This conference notes the media constantly bombard us with reports of the ageing population and the increasing strain this is putting on our public services. What gets no coverage at all is the difficulties, for the individual and their nearest and dearest, if they are unable to manage their own affairs. The solution to these […]

Keeping Our Options Open

Conference broadly welcomes UNISON’s national initiative to reduce the environmental impact of our conferences by lessening the amount of paper used to provide delegates’ information. However it must be remembered that many retired members are not computer literate and do not have their own IT equipment – or access to any other such equipment except […]

Disability History Month

This conference believes that our National Disabled Members’ Committee and UNISON should celebrate Disability History Month on an annual basis. Disability history month was set up in 2010 to provide a platform to focus on the work that has been done to fight for equality for disabled people. Each year the month has a theme […]

Branch Retired Members’ Secretary

“Conference notes that: 1)Rule D7.5 does not describe the Branch Retired Members’ Secretary (BRMS), plainly, as a member of the Branch Committee, rather it says BRMS “may attend and speak at all (its) meetings as determined by the Branch Committee rules …”; and, 2. This formulation is not used for any other member of the […]

Celebrate the Bus! Help Keep the Bus Pass

“Conference congratulates the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Midlands Region Pensioners’ Network on its ‘bus tour’ of the Midlands between 7th and 21st April this year to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme. Working with a range of local partners who included retired members of at least thirteen UNISON branches […]

National Insurance

The National Insurance scheme as established in 1948 to provide unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, retirement pension and various other benefits to employees and pensioners in the UK. Employed people who have not reached state retirement pension age and their employers contribute to the scheme through @National Insurance Contributions’ (NICs), which are based on a percentage […]

London Housing Crisis

London Housing Crisis: Response to the UNISON Survey Report – No Place To Live – into the impact of Housing costs on London’s public service workers. This conference welcomes the publication in late November 2017 of UNISON’s Report into the impact of Housing costs on London’s public service workers. We are dismayed but not surprised […]

Pay up now in Community!

Conference notes that UNISON membership in the community service group is increasing and attendance at the community service group meeting at national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) conference improves annually. Issues affecting LGBT members raised at the meeting include low or no pay increases, attacks on terms and conditions, facility time and bullying, harassment […]

Fair Funding

There is a persistent problem of funding and how contracts are put out for tender. The impact of this is that there is often so little money in the contract that staffing costs are the area employers target to cut back so members end up with larger workloads and lower pay, wages rarely allow for […]

Raising the Bar in North West Social Care

Conference notes the continued success of the North West Region’s Social Care Organising Project ‘Care Workers for Change’ and the revitalisation of the participation and sector organisation of Community members which are key objectives within its Regional Work Programme. Funded by the Region and participating branches, its aims are to recruit new members and activists, […]

Training and Development for Lay Activists

Conference notes the annual national training event for Community members facilitated by UNISON Learning and Organising Services (LAOS) which took place in Birmingham in October 2017 and its continued success in assisting to develop and empower our membership base. Conference also notes that throughout UNISON nations/regions much innovative work has been undertaken in conjunction with […]

Digital Organising Framework

Conference notes the introduction by UNISON from 1st September 2017 of the new Digital Organising Framework which replaces the paper-based Joint Branch and Regional Assessment Process (JBRA) and that It is intended to act as a discussion framework for a sit down conversation between a Regional Organiser and Branch Secretary (or Committee); It is an […]