Conference reiterates its policy and belief that children, families and communities are best served by a secondary system that is comprehensive, free of selection and accountable to local people through Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and condemns the government for effectively turning education (a social and cultural aspect of society) into a market, eroding the potential […]
Conference motions
Conference notes with alarm the increasingly desperate situation with housing supply and the ongoing decline of council housing. There are now over 100,000 households in temporary accommodation awaiting rehousing; roughly half a million households on council waiting lists and rising numbers of people living in increasingly overcrowded, poor and unsanitary conditions. Households are now paying […]
Conference records that the last Spending Review by the Chancellor committed an extra £60 billion to public services up to 2008, with £40 billion going to the National Health Service (NHS). Despite this growth, and accompanying increases in public sector jobs, there has been a misguided efficiency drive and marketisation strategy that is leading to […]
Conference reaffirms UNISON’s founding vision that our Union should organise all employees working directly or indirectly in the provision of public services in the United Kingdom. UNISON believes that strong union organisation is the best way to safeguard quality public services and workplace rights. Conference notes the continuing merger and realignment of trade unions, nationally […]
Conference notes the success of negotiations with the Department of Health and private contractors to secure an agreement by which staff transferred from the NHS to major private contractors will become subject to Agenda for Change terms and conditions over the next two years. This agreement, when fully implemented, will end of most of the […]
This Conference is extremely concerned that there appears to be no effective or responsive mechanism in place to recompense NHS staff for the petrol they use whilst on official business. This is particularly true for staff who are using their own cars for work purposes. Many employers insist that staff are entitled only to claim […]
Conference notes with deep concern the financial crisis faced by many NHS Trusts across England. In recent weeks there have been news reports daily of Hospital and Primary Care Trusts forced to close departments, freeze recruitment and discontinue the use of agency staff. In addition Trusts are also resorting to redundancy measures to save money. […]
This Conference notes that the Health Services in all four countries of the UK have set standards in respect of the nutritional content of patient food. However it is recognised that beyond the basic minimum standards, assessment of an individual patient’s nutritional needs appears to be very inconsistent and in some cases non existent. Another […]
The Department of Health’s plans to separate the provider and commissioning functions of Primary Care Trusts poses a massive threat to the future of the National Health Service. The next two years will be crucial in determining how primary care staff are employed and how primary care services are to be delivered. Conference recognises that […]
Conference congratulates the national negotiating team on reaching agreement to allow Agenda for Change to be applied to staff employed by private contractors. This has every chance of eradicating the two tier workforce and being the catalyst to banish private contractors from NHS Soft Facilities Contracts. Whilst we welcome this move, we have serious concerns […]
With the negotiations for an unsocial hours agreement under Agenda for Change well under way, we must learn lessons from the pay modernisation programme. In 2003 Conference passed a motion submitted by Exeter City Branch, that a survey be conducted and published to ascertain what the national rates of pay for sleep-in duty were, and […]
This Health Conference expresses its concern that the implementation of the Job Evaluation Matching Exercise, which is intended to introduce Equal Pay for Equal Value into the Health Service, is in many cases doing the opposite, and that this is happening across the 4 countries, across disciplines and across grades. Conference is very disappointed at […]
Conference congratulates branches and activists where there has been a significant completion of matching, evaluation and assimilation of jobs under Agenda for Change. The majority of NHS staff will have been assimilated by the end of March 2006 and all this work has been mostly completed in partnership between staff side and management side representatives […]
Conference notes that government policy in all of the four UK countries has led to the continuing privatisation of NHS services. Conference recognises the escalating competitive commercial market that is developing and welcomes the work of UNISON in providing advice and guidance to its members on the implications of the Government’s policies of NHS marketisation. […]
Conference notes the following: ·That all staff working in the NHS, including Agency Staff, are covered by NHS Indemnity. This means that NHS bodies are vicariously liable for the negligent acts and omissions of their employees and should have arrangements for meeting this liability. Under Common Law all employers, including voluntary organisations, are vicariously liable […]