This Water and Environment Service Group Conference notes with concern that employers such as Vertex, part of United Utilities, Cap, Gemini, Ernst &Young and Thames Water are actively considering transferring work to India. Negotiators in such Branches are advised to seek assurances from their employers that this issue will not escalate and put more British […]
Conference motions
The Water and Environment Service Group Conference welcomes research undertaken at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, which found that some 60% of Call Centre staff have suffered a voice disorder. Call Centres throughout Britain are now estimated to account for 2% of the workforce and are very prevalent in employers such as United Utilities. UNISON […]
This Conference welcomes the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive by the UK Government and looks forward to a more democratic basis for the management of the nation’s water resources. Conference endorses UNISON’s response to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affiair’s consultation on the Water Framework Directive and particularly welcomes the support […]
We note with concern the proposals currently being considered by this ‘Socialist Government’ that employees may be permitted to work to 70 in order to provide adequate pension provisions for their retirement! This comes against a background of over 200 companies closing their final salary scheme in 2002 alone, and the knowledge that Energy Companies […]
This Water and Environment Service Group Conference welcomes the report of the independent work related road safety task group, which confirms TUC estimates of 1,000 deaths annually in work related deaths on the road. The issue of road risk is particularly relevant for employers like United Utilities that cover hundreds of miles North to South […]
The ruling determined by the House of Lords, that the Electricity Supply Pension Schemes had discriminated against part-timers by denying them access to the pension scheme, means that may UNISON members will see their pensions fully restored. This is undoubtedly excellent news, but requires positive action by our Employers. As this action is not forthcoming, […]
The London Regional Disabled Members’ Committee is concerned at the various ways in which the direct payments schemes are set up and run locally and nationally. All direct payments schemes should be properly funded, so that the same level of support can be obtained regardless of where you live. All schemes should be set up […]
This Conference welcomes the White Paper’s encouragement to local authorities not to make voluntary organisations bid for funds on an annual basis. Many voluntary organisations provide invaluable services to disabled people and employ UNISON members. We also call for the Government to make the following changes to the White Paper proposals to meet the needs […]
This Conference does not support the principle of sheltered workshops which segregate disabled workers from non-disabled workers. They are often exploitative and increase dependency. However this Conference notes that disabled people who currently work in sheltered workshops would end up out of work and not in mainstream open employment if the workshops were to close. […]
“Conference 2001 Genetic Testing and Employment This Conference deplores the use of genetic testing in the workplace to determine presence or predisposition of impairment. The use of genetic testing is a medically based measure that seeks to establish value systems that disadvantage disabled people. It may be used by employers to discriminate in areas of […]
This Conference notes the implementation in October 2004 of the next part of the Disability Discrimination Act. This means that all public buildings should be fully accessible to disabled people and has major implications for UNISON disabled members as employees and for service users. This Conference further notes the failure of Part 3 of the […]
This Conference has very grave reservations on the Labour Government’s proposed project to consider ways of setting up a single Equality Commission. Conference is concerned that UNISON disabled members and disabled people in general would suffer and lose out if serviced by such a single Equality Commission. This Conference calls upon the National Disabled Members’ […]
This Conference expresses its deep concern that the Social Model of Disability has been publicly criticised by Disability Rights Commissioner, Colin Low, who claimed that it contains important “truths” but also a significant amount of falsehood that “distorts reality in ways which are potentially damaging to disabled people”. Conference notes that over the past three […]