Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Conference notes that the European Union (EU) is currently negotiating three free trade agreements including the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The others are the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada (CETA) and the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). These agreements threaten public services by harmonising regulatory standards, forcing through market liberalisation and […]

Housing

Conference recognises the massive housing crisis which exists in London and nationally. Conference condemns the UK Government’s financial policies that have focused upon “Buy to Let” as the main source of housing and rented housing in the UK. The result has been growing inequality, poverty, the break up of families and communities across the UK […]

A SINGLE COMBINED FREE TRAVEL PASS FOR BUS AND RAI

The bus pass providing pensioners for free off peak bus travel in England and Wales has helped their mobility largely on a local basis. However, many pensioners find the cost of rail fares, even after using the 30% discount of a Senior Rail Card, an expensive hindrance to frequent visiting of friends and family across […]

UNISON’s Political Campaign After the 2015 General

Conference notes that the Conservative Party’s success at the General and local elections on May 7th carries with it significant threats to public services, our members’ jobs and standard of living and growing levels of inequality. As such Conference calls upon the National Executive Council to develop and put in place a comprehensive political campaign […]

Pensions

The Westminster government announced in its last Budget that it planned to allow all those who have been contributing to Defined Contribution (DC) pension arrangements, the option of being able to take their whole pot of money as a cash sum from 6 April 2015. Up to then contributors could take a maximum of 25% […]

DECENT WAGE RISE FOR STUDENTS

Conference calls on the Health Service Group Executive to take the lead in a campaign calling for a decent wage for healthcare students during their training. Conference recognises that healthcare students are required to work 37.5 hr on a rotational shift rota whilst on placement and actively participate in patient care often holding their own […]

Pensions in the Community and Voluntary Sector

This Community Conference notes the ongoing crisis in pension provision affecting our members in Community and also that community and voluntary sector employees are among the lowest paid in society. The minimum level of auto-enrolment pensions is grossly inadequate; and employers continue to dumb down pension schemes to limit any possible financial risk to themselves. […]

CAMPAIGN FOR LIVING PENSIONS FOR THE ELDERLY AND R

Conference, elderly and retired people deserve to have a decent state pension. Conference asserts that the state pension is not a benefit but is ours by right. Conference believes that older people are being hit particularly hard by current austerity measures. The basic State Retirement Pension which for many on the 6th April, 2015 will […]

Campaigning for a Living Wage

Conference condemns the continued attacks on the funding of public services and the impact of the poor pay awards for staff in the public sector. Our members’ wages have decreased in real terms and public sector pay no longer leads the way. Many employers within the public sector are now employed on rates less than […]

An Organising Response to the Result of the 2015 G

Conference notes the unanticipated outcome of the 2015 General Election which produced a majority Conservative Government. The new Government is set to intensify austerity in the public sector and increase privatisation and outsourcing of public services. The Conservatives also explicitly targeted the right of workers to organise by including the following commitments in their manifesto: […]

Funding Public Services

Conference is angered that between 2010 and 2015 a five year austerity programme, driven by Conservative ideology rather than national necessity, saw massive cuts in public spending, huge public sector redundancies and pay restraint across the public services on an unprecedented scale. In his 2014 Autumn Statement last year, George Osborne let it slip that […]

National Campaign aimed at Recruitment and Organising within the Operational Sector

Conference reaffirms its support for the One Team Caring campaign passed at last year’s conference and acknowledges the difficulty the SGE has faced in taking this campaign forward with the Industrial action being carried out in England taking priority. However this was to be a national campaign aimed at recruitment and organising within the Operational […]

Health Care Professions Council Registration Fees

Conference welcomes the ongoing campaign against the rising cost of Nursing and Midwifery Council registration but notes with dismay that the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) has similarly raised the costs of registration over a short period of time. Given that Allied Health Professions along with other NHS staff have suffered a real terms pay […]

Mutualisation in the NHS

Conference notes with concern the establishment of the NHS Mutuals Pathfinder Project and the selection of ten hospitals to take part in the project. A principal stated rationale offered for exploring mutual status is the prospect that mutual status might improve services by increasing staff engagement. By contrast, prospective pathfinder organisations were given a mere […]

DOWNBANDING AND PAY PROTECTION

Conference notes that as Trusts throughout the country come under more financial pressure they have turned to downbanding as a way of saving money at our members’ expense. These downbandings happen as Trusts undertake service reviews, cost improvements or reorganisations and abuse the Job Evaluation Scheme as set out in Agenda for Change. The Agenda […]