Conference will be aware of the major changes that are being introduced to social care, both in the policy direction and provision of social care. This was originally piloted in local government and is now being extended into the health service affecting thousands of our members the vast majority of whom are women. These changes […]
Conference motions
National women’s conference welcomes the Million Voices campaign. From healthcare to education, nursery and maternity provision, public transport, social care, recreation, parks and playgrounds, unquestionably it is women who are both the majority users of and providers of our public services. But during the last year we have seen more and more how the recession […]
This conference welcomes the opportunity presented by the creation of the new schools staff negotiating body to properly recognise the true worth of our schools staff members. Without our women members working as school meals staff, caretakers, librarians, administrators and teaching assistants, schools would simply not function, yet all too often these women are low […]
On Tuesday 14 July, the date on which BNP members Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons formally took their seats in the European Parliament, the Hope not Hate petition was delivered to the parliament and 90,000 people said “not in my name”. Fortunately, Griffin failed in his remarkable application for a seat on the Committee on […]
Conference is concerned that many of our women members who are diagnosed with breast cancer do not know what help and support they are entitled to. Breast cancer can cause many problems, apart from the obvious health issues. It is time that we started to recognise the true cost of breast cancer and all the […]
This Conference is proud of the reputation that UNISON has on International work. Within the Northern Region Women’s Network we have been developing links with Burma, Colombia and Palestine, especially in support of women and children in those countries with practical projects. These links show that many of the struggles are common to us all […]
Conference welcomes the recent changes to the frequency of smear testing from five years to every three years. However, this still is not frequent enough as women’s lives are still endangered. The legal age of consent is sixteen and this should be the age that smear tests commence. With the increase in the number of […]
Conference welcomes the recent increases in statutory maternity and adoption pay and allowances and the positive effects this is having on families. However, conference sadly notes that under current legislation a woman having a child through surrogacy is not entitled to any Maternity or Adoption leave. All they are eligible to is unpaid parental leave […]
Conference believes that all girls and women should have a future free from the fear of breast cancer and associated conditions. Conference supports the Government, the NHS and its staff in their continued commitment to improve breast cancer services in order to make the vision of a future free from the fear of breast cancer […]
This conference would like to raise the issue of the current process of electing Black NEC members to the reserved Black seats. Presently this process is open to the whole membership of our union. We believe that any election to these seats should only be voted on by Black members as the seats are for […]
This conference notes that the RMS system still does not record data on the ethnic origins of all our members. Information is collected on members joining branches, however a member could change job in their workplace and never complete a membership update form. In order to have accurate records on the ethnic origins of all […]
UNISON was actively instrumental in winning August 23 as the National Slavery Memorial Day in 2007. However the response of our union in leading and organising Black workers and others to commemorate this day has been very low key or in some cases non-existent. The union must commit to a regionally supported event and an […]
This conference welcomes the work of UNISON’s International committee, Labour link and UNISON departments working on a range of issues. However, there is concern that the needs and interests of Black members appear not to be taken as seriously as other sections of UNISON. For instance, the non participation of UNISON at the UN World […]
Conference welcomes the launch of the UNISON Million Voices campaign which aims to encourage public service workers and public service users to speak up for public services as the essential foundation of a strong economy and a fair society. Conference notes with concern the severe negative impact of the economic crisis upon Black workers and […]
Conference commends UNISON’s International work including Action Aid, Water and sanitation in Gaza, creating awareness of corporate tax evasion in developing countries, HIV and Aids in Southern Africa, to name just a few. Conference is, however, concerned about UNISON’s lack of work on the eradication of malaria, a killing machine that has, for so many […]