Health and Safety

Conference is concerned that Health and Safety has fallen off the list of priorities for the service group. Many of our members continue to work in hazardous circumstances, such as environment and stressful situations. It is important that the Service Group ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, that Health and Safety remains a key […]

College of policing

Conference notes with concern that work being undertaken by the College Of Policing is failing to take into consideration the needs and concerns of Police Staff. Conference therefore calls upon the Service Group Executive to review its interaction and representation at the College. The purpose of this review will be to improve relations with the […]

Facts not fiction

We are all experiencing the effects of government cuts and the impact upon the police service. Officers and Staff are best placed to observe the difficulties the austerity program is causing to the service and the people who work within it. It is therefore important that these difficulties are reported accurately and the facts are […]

Collaboration

With austerity set to continue, there is a greater emphasis on forces to seek savings through collaboration. There are already a number of arrangements in place which are both good and bad examples. Conference believes we need to get smarter in how we support branches who are involved in a collaboration process. We therefore call […]

Changes to Shift Allowances – don’t think this will not affect you

Proposals from the employers side to remove or reduce shift allowance from Police staff is a dangerous move which will have an impact on more than just shift workers. Staff who work shifts are paid a shift allowance in recognition of the anti-social hours that they work. This pay makes up a large proportion of […]

Equal marriage – equal divorce

Conference welcomes the vital role of Cafcass staff in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children during family court proceedings. This includes promoting the welfare of children when their parents are separating or divorcing and can’t agree on arrangements for their children, ensuring the children’s voice is heard. Conference notes that lesbian, gay, bisexual and […]

Bring back diversity

Conference notes that the Police Service, the National Probation Service and the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies are facing ever deepening cuts. Equality and diversity officers, equality initiatives and diversity training can be seen as easy targets, a luxury for the good times, contrasted to so-called front line services. Conference asserts that equality is never a […]

A Shift in Equality

Conference has seen the damaging effect the cuts in the policing budget has had in the workplace over the last few years and with the Conservatives winning a majority at the General Election in May it offers a bleak outlook for all working in policing. We have seen controls rooms reduced and centralised, Custody Suits […]

Police knowledge and experience

Conference notes that police staff occupy a wide range of roles throughout the police service, from Crime Scene Investigators to Intelligence Analysts, from Licensing Officers to Data Protection Officers. Police staff in these and other roles have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they have brought to the role and developed whilst in the […]

Police and Crime Commissioner Elections 2016

Conference understands that along with the return of a Conservative Government comes the continuation of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) and their elections in May 2016. In 2012 when the first elections took place the turn out of the electorate was poor to say the least, we believe with many communities not understanding what the […]

Attack on Facility Time

Conference, the Cabinet Office Guidance of Trade Union Facility Time & Facilities in the Civil Service, published in October 2012, by the union bashing Tory government has had a devastating impact on our public sector colleagues in the Civil Service and, as a consequence, our even closer colleagues in the Probation Service who are now […]

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 […]

Privatisation of the Probation Service

Conference notes that the tory government’s success in the general election means that they will now, undoubtedly, continue with their plans for the privatisation of the probation service. Clearly this has major implications for all UNISON members in the service, but there are particular issues facing women workers: 1) The majority of the redundancies 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 […]