Members delivering services for private contractors within policing

A number of our members have been transferred to the private sector as part of TUPE transfers. These members are feeling as though they no longer fit into the wider organisation of the service group. It is essential that branches continue to offer the support necessary and to maintain a profile with the new employers. […]

Young Members in the Police Service

Young members are the future of our union and it is important that we provide as much support as possible within the workplace, enabling them to see the value of trade union membership within the Police Service. Not only do we need to support young members at work, we need to encourage them to become […]

Police Resources, the cuts and the impact on staff

The ideological swingeing cuts that have been placed on the police service for more than seven years have had a profound impact upon our members’ health and well-being. With up to 25% of force budgets being cut, we have seen a vast reduction in the service to the public, and to police officers and staff […]

Police Staff Pay Negotiations

Police Staff in England and Wales were frustrated by the amount of time the 2017 pay negotiations took to be resolved. The very small gains that were known in January 2018 were consulted upon in February 2018. These small concessions were largely lost due to the amount of time it took to consult with our […]

Barred and Advisory Lists

The introduction of the Barred and Advisory lists in December 2017 is yet another attack on police staff and needs to be exposed and, wherever and however possible, challenged. They add to the increasing repertoire of restrictions placed on us as employees of police forces. Further, the impact the legislation could have on those of […]

We Need Pay Ratios in Higher Education (HE)

Conference notes: 1)By the end of 2017, members in Higher Education will have lost the equivalent of one fifth of their pay since 2009/10. 2)At the same time, Senior Managers have seen their salaries consistently increase above the rate of inflation, with twenty-three Vice Chancellors taking an increase of 10% or more last year. Conference […]

Increasing participation of young members

The last general election saw thousands of young people registering to vote for the very first time. Youth engagement with politics led to a change in the political landscape. Subsequent debates amongst MPs has shown them that the issues important to them will be taken up by politicians when there is strength in numbers. While […]

Brexit and our European Unions (EU) colleagues

Colleagues may recall the lacklustre support by the UK Universities for any position during the Brexit Referendum despite UNISON’s call to Vice Chancellors (VCs) to take a position to support EU staff and students. There are 45,000 EU citizens working in the Higher Education sector in the UK (11% of the Higher Education (HE) workforce) […]

Engaging Higher Education members for LGBT equality

Conference welcomes the high level of engagement of Higher Education (HE) members in UNISON’s second equality survey, conducted summer 2017, which gives useful insight into their experiences and involvement in UNISON. Conference also notes the responses from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members (LGBT), which reinforce the findings from the 2016 survey that LGBT members […]

End discrimination against Cuba in UK Higher Education (UK)

1)UNISON has a proud history of international solidarity and supporting our members in HE to create a welcoming atmosphere for international students from around the world. 2)UNISON is affiliated to the Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC) and has been since 2002. 3)CSC is campaigning against a recent decision by the Open University (OU) to allegedly bar […]

Pay and the Impact on Black Staff

Conference notes that staff, particularly Black staff have seen their living standards fall in recent years and many earn less than the living wage. A Trade Union Congress (TUC) report conducted in 2016 showed that Black workers face a “massive pay gap” which widens as they achieve more qualifications. The research by the TUC suggested […]

Higher Education Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) data

Conference notes that good data is an important element in driving equality change. Data on its own is just information – it changes nothing. But it can provide evidence of failure and success and of change over time. For example, robust data has been vital in UNISON’s work, through the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher […]

No to a Hard Brexit

Our political landscape has become dominated by the referendum decision to leave the European Union. Whatever the specific position in January 2018, there are particular principles which will defend the rights and freedoms of both UK and EU nationals working in Higher Education (HE). At the time of writing we have not seen full details […]

Higher Education as a Public Service

Conference notes that: The history of degree level education provision in the UK is long and complex, but current and recent changes are fundamentally shifting the scenario in which our members work. As a trade union which organises public sector workers, we find our particular Service Group having to deal with the consequences of delivering […]

Higher Education Role Analysis (HERA)

Conference notes that it has been some years since HERA was introduced as the tool for role analysis in the majority of UK universities as part of the National Framework Agreement. As part of that many UNISON activists were trained and accredited as HERA Role Analysts to support members wishing to have their roles evaluated, […]