Local Government Cuts

Conference, over the last two years we have seen an unprecedented attack on public services, jobs, pay and conditions. We must remember that local government staff and service users are not the cause, greed within the banking industry is, but the Public Sector are having to pay for their greed. We have seen the biggest […]

Workforce Monitoring – Moving Forward

Conference believes that, in the light of the Equality Act 2010, many employers are now confused about their legal duties and ignorant about good practice on workforce monitoring in respect of sexual orientation and gender identity. Conference further believes that we can use this confusion as a bargaining opportunity to push our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual […]

The Mental Capacity Act and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People

Conference welcomes the recent Personalisation in Social Care documentation released earlier this year, which describes the personalisation of care packages for those who require them. Personalisation considers the individual and puts them at the centre of the process of making important choices about their care and how they can be effectively supported. The Social Care […]

Stopping Public Sector Pension Hacking

Conference believes that this government needs to learn to have some respect for hardworking public sector workers and we know a thing or two about respect. The quick fix hacking axe of the coalition government is decimating public services and ruining people’s lives. We will not allow government to hack away our hard earned pensions, […]

English Defence League

Conference notes: 1.The ongoing threat from the far right and that cuts in essential public services, increasing poverty, and massive increases in unemployment, create the conditions in which the far right can increase its support. 2.The decision of National Delegate Conference 2011 that the campaign against the far right should be an integral part of […]

Localism Bill, Religious Exemption and Discrimination

Conference notes that: 1.The Localism Bill is aimed at ‘a radical shift of power from Westminster to local people, increasing citizen participation, promoting community ownership, lifting inspection burdens on councils and removing regional government’. 2.The ‘Community Right to Challenge’ is presented as a measure to encourage the involvement of charities, social enterprises or employee mutuals […]

Glasgow Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre

Conference remembers the fantastic hospitality enjoyed during Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Conference 2007 at the Glasgow LGBT Centre. Conference is disappointed to learn that, for various reasons, this facility has been withdrawn, leaving a huge gap in the provision of services for LGBT people in Glasgow. Conference notes that Glasgow City Council announced […]

Building the Public’s Support For LGBT Public Services

Conference deplores the visible detrimental impact the Tory-led government’s brutal and unnecessary cuts have had on public services, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) services. These ideologically driven cuts to public sector funding have seen targeted services such as those delivered by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) prevention workers, LGBT Youth Workers and Equalities Officers […]

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Black Members – Increasing Participation and Representation

Conference notes the good work that has been achieved in self organisation and representation for Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) members at a national level. However, there is still a disproportionate amount of Black LGBT members represented at regional delegation level at National LGBT Conference, within regional LGBT groups and markedly so at […]

Not Delivering on the Equality Act and Attacks on the Equality and Human Rights Commission

Conference welcomed the approval of the Equality Act in 2010, the final legislative act of the last Labour government. But this Tory-led government has shown that they are not committed to equalities. Savage public service cuts are affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) workers and provisions for LGBT service users. This government is backtracking […]

Palestine – WorldPride

Conference notes that WorldPride 2012 is being held in London from 23 June – 8 July 2012 Conference recalls that the resolution on Palestine adopted by the 2010 Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) conference highlighted that, as the level of international condemnation and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign has grown, the Israeli government […]

Taking Forward Lesbian, gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality With The Commonwealth

Conference recalls that in 2009, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) launched a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) strategy and toolkit. This came about through campaigning by UNISON’s LGBT members, Labour Link and our partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). We are particularly proud of our input, as the only trade union on the FCO […]

Keeping the Focus On T (Transgender) In Our LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) International Work

Conference welcomes the fact that in Geneva on 17 June 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution on human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The resolution, presented by South Africa along with Brazil and 39 additional co-sponsors from all regions of the world, was passed by a vote […]

National Health Service Records

Conference notes with concern that there is evidence from UNISON Transgender members that the National Health Service (NHS) is still mismanaging personal data. Despite best efforts to create a single medical record system, there exists independent personal records information held by autonomous systems within the NHS which holds data about transgender persons former or previous […]

Donating Blood and the Ban of Gay and Bisexual Men

Conference notes with disappointment the continued discrimination with regards to the donation of blood by gay and bisexual men. It notes that it was announced in early September that the blanket ban on men who had ever had sex with another man, which has been repeatedly identified as unfair and discriminatory, will be replaced in […]