Conference notes research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in December 2016 which showed that a record 3.8 million people – one eighth of the workforce – are below the poverty line despite being in work. This means that a shocking total of 7.4 million people, including 2.6 million children, are living in poverty despite being […]
Conference motions
C 5.1 Insert “or by using the prescribed on-line system for joining” after “sign a prescribed form of application for membership” At the end of C 5.1 add “Membership shall commence on the date details of membership are entered into the membership records system.”
Close to a decade since the beginning of the global financial crisis, the pressure on public services and those that provide them remains unrelenting. Despite the unprecedented cuts that our members and the communities that they serve have already experienced, a raft of further measures now threaten to push services to breaking point. These include […]
Conference recognises the increasingly hostile environment in which UNISON branches are operating. Austerity cuts have reduced the number of activists and put further pressure on facility time; while increased fragmentation of the workforce has made organising more difficult. Meanwhile the need for us to develop an organising approach has never been greater. There is no […]
Conference notes that the Equality Act provides protections against discriminatory treatment based on the concept of Protected Characteristics. Currently workers with a terminal illness are not classified as having a Protected Characteristic and therefore have very limited legal protection against employers dismissing them due to illness. Conference notes that employers are therefore free to dismiss […]
M 6 Delete existing title and replace with “M6 Data protection” In M 6.2 insert “and requirements” after “data protection principles” Delete existing M 6.4 and replace with: “6.4 a member seeking to enforce his/her rights should address them to the Data Protection Officer. Any such requests that are received by a branch or union […]
Conference is deeply alarmed at the rise in visible, expressed racism over the past year. Across the UK, racist attacks on Black communities and those perceived to be of migrant backgrounds rose dramatically in the aftermath of the EU referendum result. This legitimisation of public displays of prejudice has led to UNISON’s migrant worker members […]
Conference notes that the triggering of Article 50 in early 2017 is a decision that affects working people, their families and communities in the UK, in the European Union and broader Europe. The Exiting the EU negotiations require that the government both seeks to leave the EU but also negotiates a new relationship and trade […]
Much of the water industry does not directly deliver key services, but instead contract them out to private sector organisations. The kinds of services contracted out include meter reading, water pipe maintenance, water testing and facilities services. For those employees who are transferred to a new employer this can mean huge uncertainty over their jobs […]
Conference notes that despite efforts to bring further equality into society, evidence shows that Black workers are still being held back in the job market. The amount of Black members holding senior posts still remains low while unemployment amongst Black people remains high, particularly amongst young Black people, and Black workers are also more likely […]
Conference notes that since the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America on the 20th January 2017, his initial actions as President have set a tone of undermining the hard fought rights of Women across the world. As one of his first acts as President, Donald Trump decided to put […]
Mental health issues are reported to affect one in three of us throughout our lifetime. Although statistically women are more likely to develop common mental health issues than men it is an issue that impacts all of our members. A recent survey also suggests that there has been a marked increase in mental health issues […]
Conference understands the large scale of harm to members caused by work related stress, including sickness and serious illness, and the personal cost to members and their families, and even premature death. The 2016 TUC survey of safety reps confirmed that stress was the biggest health and safety concern and that it is getting worse, […]
Conference, there are three areas of concern. The crisis in Social Care, the underfunding of our NHS and decimation of our Community Care services, all combine to create a perfect storm. The scale of the problems now faced by adult social care providers are enormous, and are the direct result of massive Government cuts to […]
Conference expresses concern that many girls are being left vulnerable by inadequate sex and relationship education (SRE) in schools. Conference notes that the current Children and Social Work Bill, while not the ideal legislative vehicle for introducing mandatory SRE, probably presents the best chance in this Parliament. Amendments to achieve this were tabled in January […]