Conference notes that workplace stress is a massive and growing concern in local government. As the Local Government Association states: �Research shows that work is the biggest cause of stress in people’s lives, more so than debt or financial problems. Stress can stop people performing at their best and lead to physical illness and absence.� […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that many branches are struggling to represent members in schools, particularly in those schools which have become academies. Both local authorities and the academy chains are putting restrictions on local authority employed staff representing members employed in academies. This has resulted in many reps using their own time to represent members, sometimes even […]
Conference recognises that: 1)The impacts of the climate emergency are already evident and have profoundly altered human and natural systems; 2)In the UK, we are witnessing more frequent and extreme weather events. In 2019, our communities experienced flooding and also summer heatwaves that resulted in nearly 900 excess deaths. There were more UK wildfires in […]
Conference recognises that UNISON members in local government are dedicated to improving the quality of life for the communities they work in, as shown by their incredible work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, many of our members are subject to an alarming increase in violence, abuse and harassment at work. After years of cuts […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted what�s best about local government and its workforce. Always there ready to support our communities 365 days of the year, especially during times of national crisis. It�s the same workforce who have had endure over ten years of austerity, cuts to pay and terms & conditions, but when called upon […]
Local councils across the UK have suffered huge funding cuts over the last decade. We have seen significant changes to the funding mechanism for local government, the functions councils carry out and thanks to devolution the actual make-up of local government. Throughout this time UNISON has sought to stop these cuts and highlighted the resulting […]
Conference notes that while local authorities are required to address the housing and development needs of Gypsies and Travellers, they are under no legal duty to provide sites for Gypsies and Travellers. This is true for councils across all four nations of the UK. In England, it has been the case since the Caravan Sites […]
Conference notes that workplace stress is a massive and growing concern in local government. As the Local Government Association states: �Research shows that work is the biggest cause of stress in people’s lives, more so than debt or financial problems. Stress can stop people performing at their best and lead to physical illness and absence.� […]
Conference notes Caroline Criado Perez�s recent book �Invisible Women� which set out how men�s dominance of the design industry has a major impact on women�s health and safety. For women working in local government and schools, the experience of working during the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted this impact. Some examples include: 1)71% of women wear […]
Conference is clear – sexual harassment isn�t just a problem for celebrities. It happens in ordinary workplaces everywhere. This includes local government. Anybody can experience sexual harassment. However, TUC research shows that half of women have been sexually harassed at work. Two thirds of LGBT+ people have experienced it too. Four out of five people […]
Conference notes that the National Joint Council (NJC) structure and negotiations have formed the basis of pay determination for the majority of local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since 1997. More than 400,000 UNISON members are covered by sector wide NJC pay negotiations. These negotiations cover pay increases, conditions of service, and […]
Conference notes that our members employed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) work tirelessly to make sure the public eat safe and clean meat, dairy and seafood. Their pay, terms and conditions need urgent improvement to reward that commitment. Environmental health and trading standards officers also deserve a decent pay rise. During the Covid-19 pandemic, […]
Conference notes that our members employed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) work tirelessly to make sure the public eat safe and clean meat, dairy and seafood. Their pay, terms and conditions need urgent improvement to reward that commitment. Environmental health and trading standards officers also deserve a decent pay rise. During the Covid-19 pandemic, […]
Conference notes the increasing reliance on agency workers in Further Education colleges in the UK and calls for this situation to be reversed as a matter of urgency. A Freedom of Information request conducted by UNISON in 2018 revealed the extent to which some colleges are relying on expensive agency workers. Of the 163 colleges […]
Conference notes that youth services play crucial positive and preventative roles across the UK, and the work youth workers and youth support workers do provides huge value to the lives of young people. Youth services help young people into employment, training or education; they help with potential mental health issues; and they help prevent alcohol […]