Conference welcomes the progress made in embedding partnership working between unions, employers and governments at national level in each of the four countries of the UK. Whilst recognising that UNISON has significant differences with Government over the marketisation of healthcare provision in England and Northern Ireland, we believe that where we share common perspectives there […]
Conference motions
Conference recalls that at the Health Conference at Gateshead in 2006 a resolution was passed concerning the position of UNISON members, most commonly working in learning disability services, who had transferred from the NHS to voluntary sector providers. Conference regrets that little progress appears to have been made in implementing this resolution, in contrast to […]
Conference notes the reference to the reduction of medical secretarial posts and the creation of lower paid, lower skilled audio – typist roles in typing pools in Composite E carried at the 2007 Health Conference. Sadly this is a trend which is continuing within the NHS in England. Conference believes that this is a cynical […]
Conference notes that under the banner of Keep the NHS Working, UNISON continues to campaign at every level against the marketisation and privatisation of the NHS. By maintaining a high profile in the press and media, among ministers, politicians, employers and key influencers, UNISON has been effective in drawing attention to its concerns at the […]
Conference congratulates all the groups of staff who have successfully resisted outsourcing of their work and jobs. In particular, the threat of outsourcing of medical secretarial work appears to have receded, largely as a result of the concerted campaign by UNISON members across the UK. However, Conference is concerned that other groups of A&C workers […]
Conference notes the recent moves towards increasing the integration between health and social care in government policy in Scotland, England and Wales and notes that health care and social care are already fully integrated in Northern Ireland. Conference is concerned that moves towards further integration may have a huge impact on staff terms and conditions […]
Conference notes the creation of the UNISON Equality Scheme which promotes good practice in mainstreaming equalities issues throughout the union. At a time when UNISON is pressurising employers to fully implement the public sector equalities duties it is important to hold our own processes to similar levels of scrutiny. Conference calls on the Health Service […]
Conference notes the excellent article in the November 2007 edition of UNISON In-Focus magazine concerning the TUC Campaign “Speaking up for Vulnerable Workers.” Conference notes. It is quite likely a large number of the figure estimated in the article (ranging from 250,000 to a million) work covering Agency, Casual and Migrant workers are employed in […]
Conference notes that, despite strong campaigning by UNISON, pay and conditions for our members in the community and voluntary sector (CVS) are inferior to those in the NHS. As CVS organisations provide an increasing number of core public services and this gap becomes more acute, it becomes increasingly unacceptable both for our members and for […]
The Equality Act 2006 dissolved the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission; to make provision about discrimination on grounds of religion or belief; to enable provision to be made about discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation; to impose duties relating to sex discrimination on persons performing public functions; […]
At UNISON National Delegate conference in 2007 held in Brighton, Motion 12 – Under Participation and Headed “Black Members Self Organised Group – Possible Name Change” suggested that the title “Black Members Self Organised Group” was no longer adequate to reflect the ethnic diversity of our membership and could even prevent workers from Eastern European […]
Climate change is the single greatest threat to the future development of humanity. It is estimated that by the year 2100, average temperatures will have risen by six degrees, if governments fail to act in the next ten years there will be catastrophic consequences in the future. The results of such climate change will be […]
Conference notes the British National Party (BNP) is a fascist organisation that denies the Holocaust and multiculturalism. It stands for creating an all white Britain, the destruction of trade unions and the elimination of basic democratic rights. The BNP has 49 councillors and polled a record 292,911 votes in May 2007. The May 2008 London […]
Conference notes that President Hugo Chavez’s government in Venezuela has introduced a number of inspiring social reforms since his first election in 1998. Previously, despite Venezuela’s oil wealth, 80% of the population, mostly people of African, indigenous Indian and mixed-race origin, lived below the poverty line without access to basic services. Now, for the first […]
Conference notes that rising racism creates an increasingly dangerous climate for all Black, Jewish and other minority communities. Despite the most common form of racist crime being harassment and verbal abuse, some Black people tragically are victim to violent attack. Between 2002-2005 government figures show 23 racially motivated murders in Britain. And yet, many racist […]