This conference recognises the valuable contribution already being played by public bus services towards the elimination of social exclusion and in the reduction of traffic congestion. However it also recognises that modern, environmentally friendly buses have a huge untapped potential to contribute even more to the objectives set out in the Government’s Ten-Year Transport Plan. […]
Conference motions
Conference welcomes the publication of the Water Bill in February 2003 and instructs the Water and Environment Service Group Executive to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that the interests of employees are safeguarded and reflected in the primary legislation and any associated secondary legislation, codes of practice etc.
This Water and Environment Service Group Conference notes with concern that employers such as Vertex, part of United Utilities, Cap, Gemini, Ernst &Young and Thames Water are actively considering transferring work to India. Negotiators in such Branches are advised to seek assurances from their employers that this issue will not escalate and put more British […]
Conference notes that a recent study of Water Poverty in England and Wales estimates that 19% of households are in water poverty which is defined as the need to spend 3% or more of household disposable income on water bills. There is also widespread evidence that the level of water bill debt is rising. According […]
This Water and Environment Service Group Conference notes that the National Consumer Council (NCC) is calling for regional charging policies, which could include compulsory metering in areas of water shortage. We call upon UNISON’s (National) Water and Environment Service Group Executive to enter into early dialogue on this issue with the NCC to discuss whether […]
The Water and Environment Service Group Conference welcomes research undertaken at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, which found that some 60% of Call Centre staff have suffered a voice disorder. Call Centres throughout Britain are now estimated to account for 2% of the workforce and are very prevalent in employers such as United Utilities. UNISON […]
This Conference welcomes the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive by the UK Government and looks forward to a more democratic basis for the management of the nation’s water resources. Conference endorses UNISON’s response to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affiair’s consultation on the Water Framework Directive and particularly welcomes the support […]
This Water and Environment Service Group Conference welcomes the report of the independent work related road safety task group, which confirms TUC estimates of 1,000 deaths annually in work related deaths on the road. The issue of road risk is particularly relevant for employers like United Utilities that cover hundreds of miles North to South […]
This Conference wishes to applaud the efforts of all those who work in social care providing crucial services to the most vulnerable members of our communities. We believe that it is only the dedication of these workers which has kept services running while government and employers have failed to provide the leadership and the funding […]
Conference condemns the Government’s ‘Communities Plan’ released on 6 February 2003. This is effectively a plan to remove English local authority housing from local democratic control and transfer staff to a plethora of other employers. Conference notes that local authorities will only be able to choose three investment options: stock transfer; the Private Finance Initiative […]
Conference notes publication in May 2002 by the Government of ‘Your Region – Your Choice – Revitalising the English Regions’. Conference re-affirms its general commitment to regional government and the potential offered by it to: 1)‘Draw down’ powers from central government and enhance local democracy 2)Democratise the ‘quango state’ and Government Offices in the regions […]
Conference condemns the Government’s continuing push for privatisation of local government services. It notes that this has been accompanied by a failure to address either the weakness of the TUPE regulations or the broader problems of the two-tier workforce in privatised services. However, Conference, welcomes the Scottish Protocol on Public Private Partnerships which recommend that […]
This Conference supports the principle that consideration of prioritised motions should remain the primary function of Conference but also makes the following recommendations: 1)That participation in the prioritisation process be promoted 2)That conference time be allocated for a maximum of two external speakers of strategic importance to members in the local government service group 3)That […]
Conference reaffirms the continued right of all our members providing local government services to a decent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Conference also calls for an adequate state pension which does not penalise our low paid members through the means testing ‘clawback’ of their LGPS contributions. Conference notes that the average local […]
Conference endorses UNISON’s support for world class public services and commits itself to working with councils to achieve that aim. However, Conference believes that the Government’s approach centres on a ‘big stick’ approach to performance management, rather than serious investment in staff and services, which hinders, rather than helps councils and staff to improve. While […]