Additional impact of learning difficulties on Mental Health

Conference 2014 acknowledged the particular mental health concerns for disabled LGBT people and agreed an action plan to start to address this. Conferences notes the additional impact that being diagnosed with a learning difficulty or disability can have upon our mental health. People who are not aware of their specific learning difficulty or disability or […]

Coming Out to get Facility Time

Conference will note that participation in self organisation is integral to the core work and values of UNISON. Yet activists are increasingly reporting that employers are cutting back on facility time and questioning the purpose of the meeting. Activists are feeling pressurised into disclosing their disability, sexual orientation or gender identity when they may have […]

Access to Work

ACCESS TO WORK The Access to Work (AtW) programme is a fund that helps disabled people start a new job, or remain in employment, with practical support that goes beyond “reasonable adjustments”, which employers are required to make by law. Without AtW many disabled people would be prevented from doing their jobs because of the […]

Concessionary travel passes.

Conference notes the benefits that access to public transport, such as buses, trains and coaches, can bring to many disabled people. Concessionary Passes enable this access but the conditions applicable vary across different nations of the United Kingdom. Also currently, passes issued in one country cannot be used in another. Conference believes that there would […]

The fight for fair sickness absence procedures and ‘Disability Leave’

This Conference notes with concern the election of a ‘Tory’ Government with a majority in Parliament and believes that this will signal a worsening of the rights and the likely employability of disabled people. The Conservatives have indicated their contempt for Industrial Tribunals and are not supportive of any restrictions on employers in their dealings […]

Guidance on rights for disabled workers

This Conference believes that many disabled workers are unaware of their rights as disabled employees. This Conference also believes that without awareness of rights, such rights cannot be pursued, and become endangered through lack of use. This Conference further believes that (i) it is important that information about disabled workers rights be available in a […]

The threat of EU trade agreements to public services

Conference notes that the European Union (EU) and the United States have started negotiations on a new trade agreement, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Conference also notes that EU and Canada have finalised negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and that the EU is also negotiating the Trade in Services […]

Stand up to anti immigrant racism in the NHS

Conference notes that since the current government came to power in 2010, public services have been subject to savage cuts. Consequently, despite growing demands on the health service because of an aging population, there has been a significant cut in staffing levels. Since the Mid-Staffordshire report on safe staffing levels, the health service has begun […]

Following through on reasonable adjustments

Composite A Following through on reasonable adjustments (Motions 2 and 3, Amendments 2.1, 2.2 and 3.1) This Conference welcomes the continued support at Young Members’ Weekend for a meeting of disabled young members, a process by which those members can feed their issues into the National Young Members’ Forum work plan. This Conference notes that […]

DECENT WAGE RISE FOR STUDENTS

Conference calls on the Health Service Group Executive to take the lead in a campaign calling for a decent wage for healthcare students during their training. Conference recognises that healthcare students are required to work 37.5 hr on a rotational shift rota whilst on placement and actively participate in patient care often holding their own […]

Pensions in the Community and Voluntary Sector

This Community Conference notes the ongoing crisis in pension provision affecting our members in Community and also that community and voluntary sector employees are among the lowest paid in society. The minimum level of auto-enrolment pensions is grossly inadequate; and employers continue to dumb down pension schemes to limit any possible financial risk to themselves. […]

DEFENDING UNSOCIAL HOURS PAYMENTS

Conference notes with concern that despite the government dismissing the Pay Review Body (PRB) from making any determination on NHS Staff pay in England, for 2015, it has instructed the PRB to consider the barriers and enablers ‘within the Agenda for Change pay system, for delivering health care services every day of the week in […]

Rise of Racism in the UK

Conference, a recent study commissioned by NatCen, an organisation which looks into British Social Attitudes has overwhelmingly established that racism is on the rise. While thirty per cent of Britons described themselves as having “very or a little prejudice against people of other races”, the survey also outlined that attitudes have changed since the 1980’s […]

Black Well Being

Conference austerity is having a severe and negative effect not just on the pocket but also on the health and well being of UK citizens, especially Black people within their communities. With research showing an increase in job losses for Black members through reorganisations and restructures and some of these situations leading to an increase […]

Pay Determination

Conference recognises and welcomes the decision taken by UNISON Health Conference in 2014 in passing Composite D that called upon the Health Service Group Executive to “explore how a new system of collective bargaining over pay and conditions with employers and the governments of the UK and the devolved nations could be achieved if independence […]