Conference notes that Deaf workers rely on Access to Work to pay for BSL interpreters so that they can do their jobs and live independent lives. However during the pandemic the Access to Work system wasn’t as flexible or responsive as it needed to be in the changed circumstances. Long standing issues with the system […]
Conference motions
Conference is concerned about the increase in scams during Covid 19 and particularly how this has impacted on Deaf people who are native British Sign Language (BSL) users. Covid scammers are criminals who use the publicity around coronavirus as a chance to target people. They try to take advantage of people’s worries and uncertainty about […]
Conference notes UNISON’s ground-breaking Race Discrimination Protocol which means that cases that potentially involve racism are referred for legal advice at an early stage. Conference welcomes UNISON’s commitment to fighting racism in this way and notes that for many Black disabled workers it may not be clear if they are being discriminated against because of […]
Conference notes that disabled women face barriers to participation in our union, in the workplace and in society. Over one million of our members are women and a large proportion of these are disabled. Although UNISON has rules about gender proportionality which mean, for example, that where there are two seats at least one must […]
Conference notes that an unfortunate and unwelcome result of the national lockdown has been a reported increase in domestic abuse and domestic violence. Often isolated and shut off from previous support networks, victims can struggle to access support or alert others to their situation. Perpetrators of domestic abuse have been able to use the restrictions […]
Conference recalls that UNISON Disabled Members Conference 2018 passed the motion ‘Legal Recognition of British Sign Language’. The motion explained that although the UK government formally recognised British Sign Language (BSL) as a language in its own right in 2003, this did not give full legal status to BSL. Scotland is the only country in […]
Conference notes that as we move past more than a year since COVID-19 hit these nations, we can already see the devastating affects it has had on those impacted by Post-Covid-19 Syndrome. Common symptoms of Post-Covid-19 Syndrome include (but are not limited to) fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, pain and changes in […]
Conference notes that Black people were four times more likely to die of COVID-19 than white people while almost 60% of deaths were of disabled people. The myth that COVID doesn’t discriminate has been unmasked. Black and disabled people were hit the hardest and we continue to be disproportionately impacted as we hopefully come out […]
Conference notes that COVID-19 has had an unequal impact on disabled people. Statistics show that 6 out of 10 people who have died from COVID-19 are disabled. There is a clear need to protect disabled people from exposure of the virus and the Health and Safety of workers should be a priority for employers. With […]
Conference notes that with the easing of restrictions, members are now being asked to return to the workplace, but this can cause additional stress and anxiety for workers with disabilities. Working from home can be an isolating experience. People with disabilities are more likely to feel isolated due to the lack of communication in accessible […]
Conference notes that there are 13.9 million disabled people* in the UK yet disability rights are still being questioned. From July to September 2019, there were over 2,000** disability discrimination cases brought to tribunals and cases are rising. Employers are legally obliged to treat disabled workers fairly and implement the necessary adjustments/ changes. Yet even […]
Covid-19 and Disability Inclusion in the Workplace With one in five employees being disabled its important that employers make our workplaces inclusive. Failure to make reasonable adjustments may amount to disability discrimination. Conference is aware that there can be particular benefits to disabled people from working from home; however, this is an individual assessment and […]
This conference commends work ongoing in Scotland to protect and promote the rights of people with Autism and with Learning Impairments. This includes the Our Voice Our Rights Campaign, led by the organisations ENABLE Scotland, the National Autistic Society Scotland, and Scottish Autism, to make Scotland the first place in the world to have an […]
This conference acknowledges that during the Coronavirus health pandemic we have had to wear Personal Protective Equipment [PPE] such as face masks and gloves when going about our day to day lives, and also in the workplace. For staff in certain roles there are more vigorous PPE requirements. This has helped to keep us and […]
This Conference notes that during a time of international pandemic, once more local government workers rose to the occasion alongside other key workers in the NHS, care, transport and retail to keep essential services running and to support lockdown policies that were the front line in reducing infections and allowing time for a vaccine to […]