Unsocial Hours Review

With the negotiations for an unsocial hours agreement under Agenda for Change well under way, we must learn lessons from the pay modernisation programme. In 2003 Conference passed a motion submitted by Exeter City Branch, that a survey be conducted and published to ascertain what the national rates of pay for sleep-in duty were, and […]

Agenda for Change, The Matching Process & Non-Clinical Jobs

This Health Conference expresses its concern that the implementation of the Job Evaluation Matching Exercise, which is intended to introduce Equal Pay for Equal Value into the Health Service, is in many cases doing the opposite, and that this is happening across the 4 countries, across disciplines and across grades. Conference is very disappointed at […]

NHS Pay, Terms and Conditions

Conference congratulates branches and activists where there has been a significant completion of matching, evaluation and assimilation of jobs under Agenda for Change. The majority of NHS staff will have been assimilated by the end of March 2006 and all this work has been mostly completed in partnership between staff side and management side representatives […]

Marketisation of the NHS

Conference notes that government policy in all of the four UK countries has led to the continuing privatisation of NHS services. Conference recognises the escalating competitive commercial market that is developing and welcomes the work of UNISON in providing advice and guidance to its members on the implications of the Government’s policies of NHS marketisation. […]

Primary Care Campaign

The Department of Health’s plans to separate the provider and commissioning functions of Primary Care Trusts poses a massive threat to the future of the National Health Service. The next two years will be crucial in determining how primary care staff are employed and how primary care services are to be delivered. Conference recognises that […]

Food & Nutrition

This Conference notes that the Health Services in all four countries of the UK have set standards in respect of the nutritional content of patient food. However it is recognised that beyond the basic minimum standards, assessment of an individual patient’s nutritional needs appears to be very inconsistent and in some cases non existent. Another […]

Blood Service Reconfiguration

Following the announcement by Peter Garwood – Managing Director of the National Blood Service, on Monday 27th March 2006, Conference registers its opposition to the planned reconfiguration of blood centres in the South West and Bristol and the knock on affect to the Birmingham Centre. Conference is concerned that this process was outside of any […]

NHS Crisis

This conference condemns the recent deluge of redundancies announced by Trusts across the country. In an indecent rush to balance the books, thousands of jobs have been lost in Staffordshire, Cornwall, London, Sussex, Plymouth, Leeds and NHS Direct to name just a few. We reject completely the statement made by the Prime Minister on April […]

Future of NHS Pensions

Conference welcomes the agreement reached at the Public Services Forum between the TUC and Central Government which safeguards the principles and protection of the pensions rights of existing members of the NHS Pensions Scheme. Conference recognises the key role that UNISON played to reach that agreement in which the government honoured its pensions contract with […]

Quality Contracts and the effects on bus company employees

Conference welcomes the involvement of the PTE Sector Committee in the close working relationship with Pteg through the auspices of the Public Transport Forum (PTF). Conference congratulates them on the work they have done in the promotion of quality contracts to ensure that the public will enjoy a bus service that they can be proud […]

Outsourcing/Insourcing

Conference will be aware of the rush to outsource many of the functions following the privatisation of the UK Water Industry in 1989. The consequential effect of those outsourcings left our members with the loss of occupational pension final year salary schemes and a gradual loss of terms and conditions. Conference notes that the trend […]

Closer joint working between Transport and Water and Environment Service Group Executive

Conference notes that the NEC is undertaking a major review of Service Group and branch structures in line with the motion carried at last year’s National Delegate Conference. A Working Party has been established with representatives of the NEC and all the service groups. Conference further notes that discussions between the Water and Environment, Transport […]

Pensions

Conference confirms its strong belief that good, non-discriminatory, occupational pension schemes available to all employees are an essential part of the modern reward package. Conference believes that all employers should be required to offer an occupational pension scheme which employees should automatically join with a right to opt out if desired. Conference notes the ongoing […]

Fair and Affordable Water

Conference welcomes the publication of the report ‘Fair and Affordable Water’ commissioned by UNISON from the Centre for Utility Consumer Law at Leicester University. The present basis on which domestic consumers pay for their water and sewage services is unsustainable and unfair. A growing number of consumers have chosen to opt for meters but the […]

Closer joint working between the Water and Environment and Transport Group Executive

Conference notes that the NEC is undertaking a major review of Service Group and branch structures in line with the motion carried at last year’s National Delegate Conference. Conference further notes that discussions between the Water and Environment, Transport and Energy Service Group Executives about a possible merger did not command the necessary support at […]