Canal and River Trust – Sink or Swim

Conference welcomes and commends the work done by the Service Group Executive and UNISON members over recent years to support the transition of the organisation formally known as British Waterways into the Canal and River Trust. Conference notes that the Canal and River Trust is now a charity trust and in order to support the […]

The Water Framework Directive and UNISON members

This Conference notes that the EU Water Framework Directive was adopted by the EU on 23 October 2000 and came into force in December 2000. The Directive established a framework for the protection of inland surface waters (rivers and lakes), transitional waters (estuaries), coastal waters and groundwater. It sought to ensure that all aquatic ecosystems […]

Environment Agency UNISON Members transferring to Defra

This Conference recognises that on 2 February 2017, an announcement was made by Sir James Bevan, (Chief Executive, Environment Agency) that the Environment Agency’s Corporate Services teams will transfer to Defra and that this transfer is expected to be completed by the end of September 2017. Many of the employees involved in this transfer are […]

Safe Driving

Many UNISON members working in Energy will be familiar with various safe driving initiatives introduced by energy employers. This development will include not just broad awareness of the hazards of driving but also tracking devices which can monitor speed, braking distances, erratic driving etc. Although UNISON would support common sense approaches to ensure we all […]

Hydrogen Gas

Conference notes that UNISON is the largest staff union in the UK gas industry and has a proud heritage of supporting Gas members going back to local municipal gas corporations. Conference further notes that UNISON has members working right across the industrial spectrum from qualified engineers, scientists, finance, managerial, customer contact, emergency response, shipping terminals. […]

Defending the safety of our members in Transport

This Conference believes that the failure to develop a safe, affordable and reliable integrated transport system means that not only is the UK adversely affected economically, but it also leads to unsafe working conditions for our members. This Conference believes that as well as commercial pressures to cut costs, the customer experience is often extremely […]

Contracting out of services in the Water Industry

Much of the water industry does not directly deliver key services, but instead contract them out to private sector organisations. The kinds of services contracted out include meter reading, water pipe maintenance, water testing and facilities services. For those employees who are transferred to a new employer this can mean huge uncertainty over their jobs […]

Energy Conference and Energy Branch Seminar

Conference notes the importance of the two main events in the Energy Service Group year – namely our Annual Conference and our Annual Branch Seminar. Both of these events are occasions of interaction and learning for our activists and also an occasion to recharge the batteries of our enthusiasm. However, it has been noticeable over […]

The Importance of Branch Magazines in Water, Environment & Transport Branches

This WET Conference, 2017 notes that the United Utilities branch produces a regular magazine entitled U3 which assists the visibility of UNISON in the many geographically spread workplaces and in turn, the retention of existing and recruitment of current non-members. Other branches in the WET Service Group could benefit from producing their own versions specific […]

Water, Environment & Transport Conference Health & Safety Event 2018

This Water, Environment & Transport Conference notes the success of the WET H&S event of 2016 and past events and calls on the WET Executive in conjunction with UNISON’s H&S unit to organise a similar event in 2018, noting that our Service Group has some of the riskiest occupations within our membership of the whole […]

UNISON Activists on the boards of Water Companies

This 2017 WET Conference notes that the Tories as usual have backtracked on a pledge which may have assisted ordinary workers via a seat on the Boards of Companies. We believe that through our engagement with the Water Industry regulator OFWAT however that this initiative may not necessarily be dead in the water to excuse […]

Pension Trustee Training in Water, Environment & Transport Service Group

2017 Water, Environment and Transport Conference notes the lack of UNISON Pension Trustees within the WET Service Group membership. Pensions is the one area UNISON can use influence probably more than any other in the current hostile political climate by using trained Trustees to ensure branches covered by our Service Group retain the best possible […]

Housing Associations and Charities that refuse to recognise Trade Unions are Human Rights violators

This Community conference notes:- That a number of UK Housing Associations and Charities do not recognise trade unions for collective bargaining. Some of these employers are union busters and have de-recognised trade unions, attacked union representatives and blacklisted union and safety activists. The UN Charter of Human Rights, as well as International Labour Organisation (ILO) […]

Combating bullying and harassment of disabled workers in the Community Sector

Conference notes that workplaces in the Community sector are wide and varied ranging from national charities with thousands of workers to small organisations with a handful of staff. UNISON’s organisation within the Community sector is similarly varied with members being attached to national branches, dedicated community and voluntary sector branches, housing association branches. In some […]

FRAGMENTATION OF THE COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY (WORKING) SECTOR

Over the past few years the Fragmentation of the Community and Voluntary Sector has seen the decline of a number of community and voluntary organisations. This has resulted in the loss of staff and job roles leaving a void within the sector, where resources are diminishing. Speaking at the 2016 community service group conference in […]