Disability Passports in the Workplace

Many of our members are not receiving the reasonable adjustments they need in the workplace environment, whether it be removing physical barriers or providing additional support for a disabled employee to protect against substantial disadvantage. A way to encourage the introduction and continuous support of reasonable adjustments would be a disability passport document. A disability […]

TELEVISION LICENCES FOR OVER 75S

Conference notes that since November 2000, those over 75 have been entitled to a free television licence and that until 2017/18 this was wholly funded by the government. Conference also notes that it is now partly government funded, and that the funding for the scheme will become entirely a matter for the BBC from June […]

Attacks on our benefits

Conference notes that, whoever wins the Tory Party leadership race, there is a possibility of an early general election. In any case, the next one has to be in 2022 at the latest. Conference is extremely perturbed at noises coming from the Government about saving loads more money by axing the benefits older people receive […]

The Future of Social Care

Conference notes that the Government has been promising a Green Paper on Social Care since 2017 and that, to date, nothing has been produced. Conference further notes that Social Care is now in crisis and deemed by many to be unsustainable in its current form. The Government’s approach to this crisis has been to put […]

Standards should not be allowed to drop for our elderly in care

Conference notes with serious concern the June 2018 report of the Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland (COPNI) into Dunmurry Manor Care Home and believes that the abuse and neglect of residents in the home that it details is both shocking and appalling. Council notes that COPNI began its investigation into Dunmurry Manor after […]

Cancer Screening

Breast and bowel cancers are two of the biggest cancer killers in the United Kingdom (UK). There are around 10,000 deaths from the former and 16,500 from the latter. Across the different parts of the UK upper age limits for breast and bowel cancer screening are routinely set by the relevant health authorities. This motion […]

Withheld and Unclaimed Benefits

Conference expresses its deep concern that the suicide of an 81 year old pensioner left with no money because the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) wrongly stopped her State Pension and Winter fuel allowance because of changes to her pension credit entitlement. She had only £5 when she died. Older people often cannot easily […]

YOUNG PEOPLE DO NEED HELP, BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF OLDER PEOPLE

It is acknowledged that younger people are facing significant falls in living standards; however, this is not as a consequence of older people stockpiling all the wealth, as suggested by the House of Lords Committee on Intergenerational Fairness and Provision (April 2019). On 25th April 2019 the above committee called upon the Government to: “Take […]

Impact of Technology on Older People

Conference notes the increasing use of technology in everyday life and its impact on elderly and vulnerable people. With moves to make most access to local and national government and many other organisations including UNISON only available online it risks leaving a significant part of the older demographic behind. Given that many older people either […]

Supporting LGBT+ members in police and justice

Conference notes that despite the government telling us that ‘austerity is over’ cuts to our public services continue, with lack of funding to police and justice services causing mass job losses, department closures, and outsourcing. Whilst UNISON leads the way in the fight to save jobs there are times when jobs cannot be saved, such […]

Career progression for Police Staff

In the recent survey that UNISON undertook into wellbeing amongst Police Staff nearly 80% of respondents said that they had no defined career structure. Conference rightly agrees that this is unacceptable to both the individual staff members and also the forces. Forces need to work harder to retain talented and hardworking police staff. Conference also […]

Privatisation of Approved Premises

Conferences notes that… Approved Premises or AP’s are one of the core elements of the Probation Service’s responsibilities. They accommodate, in local communities, recently released prisoners to support and enable them to return to society post release from custody, most often from lengthy sentences. The National Probation Service (NPS) is moving its AP estate from […]

A Call to End Overly Intrusive Vetting Practices

Conference recognises the necessity for all police staff and officers to undergo vetting checks before a career in the police service begins. It is also acknowledged that these checks need to be reviewed at regular intervals, for the safety of staff, the public and the police service. However, many Forces are overreaching their authority by […]

Time for a Police Staff Mobile App

Conference will note that since the introduction of the revised Police Staff Council Pay & Conditions of Service Handbook in April 2017 many of our members continue to struggle to understand their workplace rights. Our members often have to make immediate decisions and will most likely not have quick access to the Handbook and Guide […]

Future Model of Probation

Conference notes the Government’s intentions to dismantle its failed Transforming Rehabilitation reforms by bringing all offender management work currently undertaken by the private Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) under the control and direction of the public sector National Probation Service (NPS). Whilst Conference welcomes the return of this important part of probation to public ownership, Conference […]