Conference notes the continuing impact of the area review process in post-16 education which has seen a wave of mergers (and failed mergers) across the further education (FE) sector. Further education has already lost around 30,000 experienced staff, half of whom are support staff, since 2009. The area review process has resulted in further job […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that recruiting new members is a priority for UNISON. Increasing our density in the Energy sector will increase our bargaining power with management and help us get the best deal for our members at the negotiating table. Challenges in the Energy sector, such as rolling TUPE programmes, increased use of call centres and […]
Conference notes that recruiting new members is a priority for UNISON. Increasing our density in Water, Environment and Transport (WET) will increase our bargaining power with management and help us get the best deal for our members at the negotiating table. Challenges in the WET service group, such as job cuts and TUPE transfers in […]
Conference notes that our workplaces are changing, with members in Water, Environment and Transport (WET) facing increased workloads as targets are increased year on year and working conditions often deteriorate under TUPE transfers. These pressures have made the importance of ensuring good mental health in WET workplaces clear. At least one in four of us […]
Conference notes that our workplaces are changing, with members in Energy facing increased workloads as targets are increased year on year and working conditions often deteriorating when new management takes over. These pressures have made the importance of ensuring good mental health in Energy workplaces clear. At least one in four of us will experience […]
This service group conference notes with deep concern the disastrous effects of massive funding reductions for social care services, with spending on these services being forecast to fall below 1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020. The appalling effects of these cuts are increasingly experienced on a daily basis by UNISON members working in […]
Conference notes UNISON’s Working Together guidelines and recognises the benefits of abiding by these guidelines. Ensuring all activists and members are aware of these guidelines gives everyone confidence to contribute and engage to their full potential which ultimately makes our union stronger. The Working Together guidelines remind all members of the importance of respect, accessibility […]
Despite longstanding UK and EU equal pay legislation, there are still women working in local government and private contractors providing local government services who are paid much less than they should be compared to men. Conference believes that changes are needed to make UK equal pay legislation more effective and that government austerity policy is […]
This conference believes that in many schools and local authorities, staff on term time only contracts are being treated less favourably than their full time colleagues in respect of their pay and other conditions of service. UNISON has seen many examples of term time staff not receiving their pro-rata entitlements to benefits such as pay, […]
Conference recognises libraries and cultural services, such as museums and public parks, have been suffering financial cuts over many years as councils struggle under the government’s austerity policies. There has been a systematic attack on the term and conditions of and undermining of the professionalism of people still employed in these services. Conference recognises the […]
Conference notes that our members employed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are under extreme pressure and that recent meat and food scandals may become the norm as we negotiate our way out of the European Union and into the hands of unknown trade deals. Conference also notes the numbers of Meat Hygiene Inspectors (MHI) […]
Conference notes that the clear intention of the UK government is to create a ‘hostile environment’ for would-be migrants to the UK in order to reduce immigration and meet commitments made to the electorate – regardless of internal or external implications and consequences, be they economic or humanitarian. Asylum seekers, to whom the UK have […]
Conference condemns the continued attacks on the funding of local councils, which are destroying local services, threatening community cohesion and threatening our members’ jobs and income. They represent the biggest threat to locally provided services, controlled by democratically elected councils. Whilst acknowledging that councils face difficult decisions as to what can be done, most local […]
For the last few years UNISON has organised Stars in our Schools to shine a light on the wonderful work of support staff. So often they are the unsung heroes of schools. Teaching assistants, midday supervisors, admin workers, catering staff and cleaning staff are part of the whole education team, who make our schools the […]
Conference notes that whilst UNISON represents 30,000 members working in further education and sixth form colleges across the UK, our members work in a variety of roles, including: training and assessment; technical; library services; facilities; administration; specialist learning support, curriculum support; catering; IT, data; finance, procurement, we note the threat they are under. There continues […]