At Conference just last year UNISON attacked the government’s obsession with sickness rates, after figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that days lost due to sickness absence fell from 178 million in 1993 to 131 million in 2013. The figures also showed that the differences in absence rates between the public […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that according to the 2011 World Report on Disability published by the World Health Organisation and World Bank there are an estimated one billion disabled people globally. Disabled people face barriers to participation in society, such as in accessing development programmes and funds, education, employment, health care, communication and transport. Disabled people and […]
One in four people experience mental health issues at some point in their lives, but there is still a lot of stigma associated with mental health impairments, making many people unwilling to disclose mental health issues in the workplace. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people still face high levels of bullying and harassment and […]
Conference will be aware that on 13 May 2014, an explosion at the coal mine in Soma, Manisa, western Turkey caused an underground mine fire which burned until 15 May killing a total, 301 people in what can only be described as the worst mining disaster in Turkey’s history. The mine, operated by coal producer […]
It has been reported that the Government is considering introducing means testing for the Pensioners Bus Pass. This is a short sighted policy that will bring little benefit to the taxpayer. It will however bring isolation and misery to those pensioners who rely on public transport to travel but who will not be able to […]
Conference welcomes the Coalition Government’s planned increase in rail investment, but questions the value for money, rape of the environment and a 12 year wait for completion of the HS2 high speed rail line at this time of austerity when the project will cut just 45 minutes off a journey from Birmingham to London. Conference […]
Having an integrated, efficient public transport network is vital to the economy and to the daily lives of millions of people. While billions of pounds will be spent on building the HS2 rail line money is being cut from local authority budgets which leads to bus services being stopped, threatening the jobs of our members. […]
With a static or decreasing number of members in our branches we need to review how we organise within the Water, Environment and Transport Service Group (WET). As moves are made to change our branches we need to find a structure that suits us before one is imposed. There seems to be a coordinated effort […]
Conference is alarmed at the growing levels of sectarianism and division and continued and escalating violence and intimidation which is destabilising the peace process in Northern Ireland. Conference applauds the public stance taken by the Irish trade union movement currently led in Northern Ireland by UNISON. On the 31st January trade unionists led a public […]
Conference condemns the persecution of Colombian unionists and political activists. 15% more trade unionists were killed in 2013 than in 2012. Congress deplores that 26 members of union backed Patriotic March, Colombia’s largest opposition movement, were killed in 2013 and many imprisoned, including two of its leaders. National Organiser Huber Ballesteros, who is also an […]
Insert new Rule D 6.4: “D 6.4 Such Retired Members’ Sections shall have adequate and agreed funding for retired member activity and access to other resources subject to union guidelines.” Renumber subsequent paragraphs
Rule C 5.1 Delete second sentence “Any person……UNISON membership.”
Conference condemns the Tory-led Coalition Government’s plans to split the probation service to create a small national probation agency for England and Wales to manage high risk cases whilst leaving the majority of the work to the private sector. The plans would see the dismantling of the 35 current probation trusts, who will not be […]
Conference notes the continuing and increasing use of zero hour contracts within the private home care sector and welcomes the work undertaken to promote UNISON’s Ethical Home Care Charter. Conference recognises that the procurement policies used by councils and other public bodies which focus on costs effectively encourages a race to the bottom in the […]
Insert new Rule D 6.3: “D 6.3 Such Retired Members’ Sections may formulate motions and proposals to the Branch Committee and the Regional Retired Members’ Committee.” Renumber subsequent paragraphs.