Conference notes with concern that the Probation Service is now affected by an on-going workloads crisis and that the following problems continue to negatively affect our members’ health, safety and welfare, such as: 1)Probation is full. Caseloads continue to rise inexorably. There are large backlogs in unpaid work orders. Unlike the Prison Service, which in […]
Conference motions
Unpaid Work, Community Service, Community Pay Back, whatever people call it, everyone knows what is meant by it. Unpaid Work is the most visible, public facing, community interactive element of the Probation Service. First introduced as a sentencing option to the judiciary in 1973, it soon became popular as way of offering both punishment, rehabilitation […]
Conference notes that section 8 of the Police Staff Handbook “Payments in the event of death or permanent disablement arising from assault” is no longer fit for purpose. The section has been in place for many years and has not been updated to reflect the consequences of criminality that do not relate to assault. An […]
Conference notes the on-going cost of living crisis affecting members in all the sectors in which we organise in Police and Justice. Inflation is not falling at the rate previously predicted and the cost of food and other basic household goods is continuing to rise at an unprecedented rate. Coupled with this, mortgage costs have […]
In UNISON’s Year of Black Workers, Conference notes with concern the absence of Black member representation on the Police and Justice SGE and Police Staff Sector committee for England and Wales. The absence of Black representation at this level is something that must be addressed. There are many workstreams within the SGE and its constituent […]
Conference notes the plans from the Ministry of Justice to impose yet another set of top-down reforms on the Probation Service via its ‘One HMPPS’ proposals. These proposals were published less than 18 months following the reunification of probation in 2021 which in turn followed the collapse of 7 years of failed probation privatisation. The […]
Conference calls on the Service Group Executive (SGE) to explore ways in which to increase Black Member representation within the SGE including the Police and Probation Sectors. The SGE must: 1)Consider best practice with an emphasis on representation and inclusion; 2)Report back to the Police & Justice conference in 2024.
Conference notes that analysis and scrutiny of grievances raised by Police Staff is not currently undertaken by the Service Group Executive (SGE). Conference believes that the SGE should have an overview of key issues raised by police staff through the grievance process to inform the national bargaining agenda. The SGE should have access to data […]
Young members are the future of our union and it is important that we provide as much support as possible within the workplace, enabling them to see the value of trade union membership within the Police Service. Not only do we need to support young members at work, we need to encourage them to become […]
Conference is aware of the escalating levels of cuts in education in Northern Ireland. UNISON members are facing the severe impact of an imposed budget by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland . More than 70 million pounds has been slashed from immediate spending. This follows on from a previous demand that £200 million […]
Conference notes that Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections are scheduled to take place on the 2nd May 2024. Of those PCCs elected in 2021, 30 were Conservative, 8 were Labour and 1 was Plaid Cymru. Conference further notes that three police services (Greater Manchester, the Metropolitan Police and West Yorkshire Police) are instead governed […]
Conference notes the impact that the Conservative government’s pledge to recruit 20000 police officers, known in policing as Operation Uplift, has had on the job security and career progression of police staff. Conference believes that the financial arrangements surrounding the pledge are forcing Chief Officers to place police officers into roles that would otherwise be […]
Conference believes that serving Police Staff should have same right as any member of the public to make a complaint against police if they are poorly treated or mistakes are made by Police colleagues from their home force when a staff member becomes a victim of crime or an alleged offender when off duty. Conference […]
Conference notes that since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a marked shift towards home or hybrid working in the WET sector. In pre-pandemic times, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender plus (LGBT+) workers faced challenges in the workplace, including discrimination, harassment and a lack of inclusivity. While we note that there are advantages to agreed […]
Conference notes that there is a lack of diversity among field-based operational roles within the WET industries. This is a real cause for concern as it hinders the creation of an inclusive and welcoming work environment in WET industries. Field-based operational roles within WET are mostly roles that involve lone working, for example monitoring and […]