Conference recognises that many public service employers have now moved their staff on to the Approved Mileage Allowance (AMAP). This is a payment of 40p a mile for staff who use their own car for work. In some employers a buy out has been negotiated but in others it has been imposed. Many employers, particularly […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) is a new public body which is being created with the intention of preventing unsuitable people from working with children and vulnerable adults. From October 2009, individuals working with vulnerable adults or children will be required to register with the ISA. This will affect over 11 million […]
Conference welcomes the figures on membership growth in 2008. This growth reflects continuing regional and branch commitment to organising and recruitment. Conference congratulates those branches that have engaged in successful organising campaigns and notes that organising must remain central to the work of UNISON. Conference believes that strong trade union membership is even more important […]
Conference reaffirms previous UNISON commitment to: ·Ensure that the commissioning of nurse training numbers is based upon proper evaluation of workforce needs and planned for appropriately. ·Not exploit developing country’s labour markets in recruiting nurses to work in the UK. ·Support widening access initiatives towards the opening up of Higher Education to diverse students from […]
Conference welcomes the Department of Health’s increasing commitment to Apprenticeships, recognising that these provide a further means of attracting young people into the health workforce as well as providing existing staff in pay bands 1 to 4 with a new high quality opportunity to develop themselves and to progress in their careers. Apprenticeships are an […]
Conference notes that as an integral part of Agenda for Change, the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) is a crucial tool for supporting the effective delivery of health care services. It is designed to enable staff to develop the necessary skills to carry out their roles with efficiency and flexibility, creating a workforce that […]
Over the next five years local commissioners (Primary Care Trusts), will be reviewing most current contracts within the NHS and looking closely at value for money, while the remainder of local NHS providers will be moving forward to NHS Foundation Trust status. Conference re-affirms its opposition to all forms of market-testing, contestability and privatisation in […]
Conference notes the government’s World Class Commissioning programme which aims to transform the way health and care services are commissioned in England. Conference expresses its alarm that much of the focus of the World Class Commissioning programme is about stimulating the market and finding alternative providers to the NHS We restate our continued opposition to […]
Conference notes with serious concern the plans in Lord Darzi’s ‘High Quality Care for All’ report to pilot-test personal budgets and direct payments for long-term conditions in the NHS in England with a view to a national roll-out. Whilst conference supports the objective of empowering service users and, as much as possible, putting them in […]
Conference notes that UNISON’s predictions on the consequences of using PFI as a means of public procurement have now become reality. The PFI model is busted beyond repair. The only way it can be fixed is by untenable massive injections of public money and a further increase in debt in the public balance sheet. However […]
Everywhere publicly provided care essential for older people in our society is under attack. UNISON has already demonstrated the extent to which the mass transfers to the private and voluntary sectors have taken place. We have also demonstrated subsequent reductions in the quality of care. In a society with an ageing population with increased social […]
Conference acknowledges the vital importance of investing in the training and development of our members and existing and future lay leaders at local, regional and national level as part of meeting the organising challenge. In particular, Conference applauds the introduction of the leadership development programme at national level. However, conference recognises that a consistent union-wide […]
In this the 50th anniversary year of the Cuban revolution UNISON salutes the people of Cuba and their achievements. UNISON commends the impressive advances that have been made in the fields of health care, education, sustainable development and many others. These advances put Cuba amongst the top rank of nations in terms of human development […]
The International Trade Union Confederations’s (ITUC) annual survey of the violation of trade union rights for 2007 documented details of workers’ rights violations in 138 countries. Serious and systematic harassment and intimidation was reported in 63 countries. Seventy-three unionists were sent to prison in 2007, including 40 in Iran alone, where systematic suppression of workers […]
Conference notes the ongoing progress to make UNISON structures fit for purpose and to ensure that all of our members regardless of where they work have an equally strong voice in their union. Conference agrees that devolution, the ongoing public service reform and outsourcing agenda continue to change the bargaining landscape for many of our […]