Conference welcomes the new United Kingdom (UK) Labour government and hopes that this will be a new era for our LGBT+, Black, disabled and women members. LGBT+ people did not fare well under the last UK government. In the 2024 ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index, the UK was 15th scoring 51.88%, with a poor record on asylum […]
Conference motions
Conference, the safety for LGBT+ people in public services is at stake. As LGBT+ rights gain momentum globally, many countries are pushing back with stringent legal measures. From the United States of America’s (USA) controversial laws to Uganda’s life-threatening penalties, the battle for our rights has increased in visibility and is far from over. We […]
Conference welcomes the progress made in acknowledging that LGBT+ rights are human rights, including labour rights, with more countries adopting laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. However, even where legislation is in place, many LGBT+ workers face discrimination. For transgender and non–binary people, the picture is particularly bleak. Research shows they […]
Conference, we need to build on UNISON’S strong foundation of self-organisation. Moving forward in planning for next year’s campaigns, we need to grow the legacies the year of Black Workers 2023 and Year of LGBT+ Workers 2024. Within UNISON, Black LGBT+ voices have created a space that provides a focus on the organising and campaigning […]
Conference will recall that on Trans Day of Remembrance in 2017 we launched our model trans equality policy. This was designed to challenge transphobia in our workplaces. In 2022, we launched our successful trans equality campaign which featured heavily in our Year of the LGBT+ Workers campaign. Despite attacks from the media and politicians, our […]
Conference acknowledges the deeply tragic impact that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has had since the early 1980s, claiming the lives of over 40 million people (World Health Organization, 2022), whilst also recognising that the treatment of HIV and AIDS has progressed significantly over the same time period; such that a […]
Conference recognises the progress made towards gender inclusivity since the launch of the UNISON trans equality campaign in 2022 and 2024 as the Year of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, plus (LGBT+) Workers. We continue to see great strides towards gender inclusivity within UNISON; from the growth of the transgender, non-binary and gender diverse (TNBGD) network; […]
Whilst in our society we undoubtedly have a way to go when it comes to the recognition and acceptance of the diverse nature of gender, conference acknowledges that substantial progress has and continues to be made in this area. Within UNISON alone we have: 1)trained over 5000 trans allies; 2)negotiated our trans equality model policy […]
Conference notes that: 1)Most public service pension schemes pay pensions to widows of male scheme members in respect of contributions since 1972 or, in certain circumstances, 1978; 2)As a result of a Supreme Court decision in 2017, the Walker case, scheme members’ surviving same-sex spouses and civil partners, irrespective of gender, are treated the same […]
Conference notes that to reach net zero we need a clear energy policy that is fit for purpose. We have seen too many times Governments moving the goalposts when it comes to a clear vision of what we need to achieve net zero. We have seen the roll back on the current Tory Governments’ timelines […]
Conference notes the significant changes that have taken place across the Energy Sector in the last decade. Conference instructs the Energy Service Group Executive to undertake a review of the Service Group Executive constitution and bring any proposals changes to the current terms of reference to Energy Conference 2025.
Conference acknowledges the importance of self-organisation within UNISON as it allows marginalised groups within the union to challenge discrimination in the workplace and to campaign in wider society. Conference also notes that members of self-organised groups are a valuable resource to the energy service group as they have knowledge and experience of how our workplaces […]
Conference notes that 2024 is UNISON’s Year of LGBT+ Workers and welcomes the opportunity that this provides to promote UNISON as the union for LGBT+ workers in the energy sector, raise awareness of LGBT+ rights, challenge discrimination, negotiate LGBT+ inclusive policies and recruit and activate LGBT+ members in the energy industry. The year highlights the […]
Police and Justice staff are well established members of our union and have been for decades. Police and Justice members work in very difficult circumstances both protecting the public and enforcing the law. The needs of these members are no different to that of other service groups. These members support our union and act with […]
This conference recognises the critical importance of UNISON’s “Organising to Win’ national strategy that provides a vision of a stronger UNISON with a plan to increase member participation, build a bigger and more representative activist base, and achieve sustainable membership growth. In the Energy Sector we need to strengthen the collective voice to protect the […]