Rule P Application of Standing Orders

Amend Rule P 1.3.5 At the beginning of the third sentence insert the words: “The Private Contractors National Forum,”

Rule D The right to attend and speak

Add new rule D 1.7.6 “D 1.7.6 Two representatives of the Private Contractors National Forum at the national level.” Renumber current rules D 1.7.6.-1.7.9 accordingly.

Schedule C Elections

Schedule C 4 Add at end: “Where the law allows, the National Executive Council may determine that an election shall be by either postal ballot and/or electronic ballot.”

Rule D Conference quorom and procedure

Amend Rule D 1.10.4 In the second sentence after “A Regional Council,” insert the words: “the Private Contractors National Forum,” In the third sentence after “A Regional Council” insert the words: “the Private Contractors National Forum,”

Women and the State Pension

Conference notes that the new single tier pension due to be introduced in April 2016 will fail to alleviate pensioner poverty not least because it is discriminatory against women. It is generally impossible for women to accrue the same level of occupational and state pension as men because of low pay, part-time working, time off […]

Rule D Rule D 4 Private Contractors National Forum

Add new rule D 4 “D 4 Private Contractors National Forum 4.1 A Private Contractors National Forum shall be established consisting of up to two representatives from each of the Private Contractors National Company Forums. .2 The Private Contractors National Forum may, subject to the Union’s rules, send up to two delegates and two motions […]

Opposing DFID’S Privatisation Agenda

Conference is concerned that the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) is aggressively promoting the private sector as an alternative provider of public services globally. Traditionally privatisation, driven by the international finance institutions, has been promoted in infrastructure projects, particularly water, sanitation and energy, often with terrible consequences, but increasingly DFID is promoting a […]

The fight for fair sickness absence procedures and ‘Disability Leave’

Conference is concerned about the Treasury led consultation on the review of sickness absence in the public sector. This includes a review of current sickness management systems and sick pay. The review could lead to a weakening of rights and have a detrimental impact on disabled workers. The Conservatives have indicated their contempt for Employment […]

Incapability Dismissals

Conference notes that some employers have introduced Incapability Procedures which are designed to make it easier to terminate contracts on the grounds of either ill-health or performance. Conference is concerned that these procedures are or will be used to remove workers from employment instead of making them redundant through cuts and therefore incurring the costs […]

Facility Time

This Conference notes that motions on cuts to facility time have been debated and passed at Local Government Conference in 2013, 2014 and 2015. This Conference notes that the motion passed in 2013 called for the development of ‘…practical and immediate support measures for branches facing cuts to facility time’. This Conference notes that the […]

Restructure of National Joint Council (NJC) Green Book Pay Spine

Conference notes that the introduction of the Chancellor’s Living Wage is likely to mean that over a third of the NJC Green Book pay spine will have to be deleted by 2020. Authorities will need to consider the impact of this in terms of cost and its affect on pay and grading structures. The consequences […]

Term Time Contracts and Schools Workers

Conference believes that enforced term-time contracts penalise a predominantly female workforce and compound the problems of low pay in schools. Teachers are automatically put on full-year contracts, but many support staff working alongside them are forced to take term time only contracts. This can reduce the salaries of support staff by up to 20% and […]

Resourcing For Devolution

Conference notes that the Westminster Government continued austerity measures are devastating local authority services and undermining our communities across the UK. UNISON members are facing mass redundancies; threats of privatisation; cuts to pay and terms and conditions and massively increased workloads and pressure. In these core and common issues UNISON can and should continue to […]

Organising and Representing Chief Officers and Senior Managers in Local Authorities

Conference notes that massive cuts have been made across local government, with billions of pounds of central government funding removed since 2010. By 2019/20 local councils will lose £75 out of every £100 that the government spent in 2015/16, and thousands more services will have been lost. UNISON members who are chief officers and senior […]

Supporting our activists who have to deal with stressful situations

Conference notes that being a trade union activist has always been difficult and stressful as we regularly deal with members who face difficult and challenging situations. Conference further notes things have got much tougher in recent times with the pressures of dealing with the impact of austerity on our members, service users and our union. […]