Organising

Conference congratulates branches and regions that have ensured that UNISON continues to meet the challenge of recruiting and organising new members in what is an increasingly hostile environment. The onslaught against public services and the dedicated workers who deliver them by this Conservative led government means that building and sustaining strong workplace organisation must be […]

The International Campaign Against Public Service Cuts

The Conservative government, with the support of the Liberal Democrats, is attacking our public services. UNISON faces many challenges in defending these services and those who work hard to deliver them. Our union’s record of international solidarity can strengthen UNISON’s response. Across the European Union national governments and the European Commission are pursuing policies aimed […]

Education

Conference notes that education has been at the forefront of the Conservative-led Coalition’s attempts to re-shape the UK and the education and childrens services of England. The common thread is one of disempowering and cutting democratic public authorities and encouraging the growth of private education providers and markets. These developments in turn put pressures on […]

Opposing the Far Right

Conference notes the ongoing threat from the far right and that across Europe far right political parties exploit the impact of austerity measures and continue to gain support. In parts of Britain Muslims are effectively under siege, already this year there have been arson and other attacks on mosques, firebombing of a Halal shop, and […]

Apprenticeships

UNISON supports the creation of properly-negotiated apprenticeship schemes which pay apprentices at the rate for the job, provide high quality training and which are not used as cheap labour to substitute for existing jobs. UNISON also believes that apprenticeship schemes should seek to tackle gender stereotyping, noting the 2010 TUC and YWCA England and Wales […]

Cops Off the Streets

Like all other public sector service groups, jobs of Police and Justice staff are under intense attack nationally and have been since this Tory/Lib Dem coalition showed their intention soon after being elected to shrink the public sector. We face a ‘double whammy’ in that not only are our frontline jobs being made redundant, we […]

Women and the cuts

Conference notes the attack on women that is being instituted by the Tory-led government. Their first budget showed a disproportionate effect on women which was highlighted by the Fawcett Society. We are all aware that the public sector is being made to pay the price of the excesses of the banking and finance sector. Even […]

Campaigning Against the Tory Led Government

Conference condemns the Tory led Government’s savage and ideological attack on working people and the institutions and services upon which they rely. In addition to the deepest and most sustained cuts to public spending in living memory, we are also witnessing wholesale attempts to dismantle the welfare state and to undermine the concept of collective […]

The Coalition Government Attacks on Public Services and the Trade Union Response

Conference condemns the Coalition government’s concerted attacks on public services and the welfare state. These attacks are driven by political ideology, not economics – a continuation of the Thatcher/Major government commitment to free market economics which cynically exploits and exaggerates the effects of the economic downturn to roll back the welfare state and open up […]