Conference notes that this year Christmas Day and New Year’s Day fall on a Sunday. On such occasions when any part of the Christmas and New Year holidays fall on a weekend Police Officers working shifts receive paid compensation additional to the Sunday, i.e. Tuesday 27th December and Monday 2nd January are effectively Bank and […]
Conference motions
Conference is aware that as members become older it becomes increasingly difficult and in some cases impossible to obtain suitable travel insurance especially on an annual policy basis, at a reasonable price. Our own UIA no longer offers an annual policy to those over 65 years and will only offer individual trips at highly inflated […]
Conference calls on the National Retired Members’ Committee and the National Executive Council to closely monitor and make suitable representations to government with regard to the present ongoing revaluation of homes – which will inevitably result in changes to the banding levels with a detrimental effect on the elderly who are on a fixed income […]
Social workers are now required to register with the General Social Care Council in order to practice legally, and this registration has to be renewed every three years. In so doing they have to complete extensive registration documents that amongst other things ask personal questions within a medical declaration that includes disability status. When completing […]
Many UNISON disabled members that could potentially disadvantage them in the workplace do not identify their individual access requirements. The Disability Discrimination Act definition of a disabled person has recently been extended to define people with MS, HIV and cancer as disabled from a point of diagnosis. We welcome this legislative change as a signal […]
This group meeting notes that attempts to re-establish effective central pay negotiations in Further Education have largely failed, as a high percentage of colleges have refused to be bound by the recent 2 year agreement. This group meeting believes that it is vital that UNISON, in negotiation with NATFHE and other relevant unions, should attempt […]
Many of us have fought for years for equality in all areas. We have had some successes, including some excellent employment laws. However, as many lesbians and gay men are aware, these laws can sometimes be used against us and when they are, there is very little in the way of information and support. One […]
Conference reaffirms its commitment to improved social services for users and carers and to respond positively to new government initiatives based on real consultation when they are well thought out and properly funded. However, Conference believes that Ministers have convinced themselves that only radical change will achieve that improvement in initiatives such as Every Child […]
Conference notes the National Development and Organisation Committee Report ‘Organising in the Voluntary Sector’, adopted in 2000. UNISON now has 44,000 members in the community and voluntary sector – a significant increase since the organising plan was adopted. Conference acknowledges that the growth of membership is as a result of recruitment and also the increasing […]
Conference notes that each Government department has been asked to develop a pay and workforce strategy. In local government, the strategy developed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Employers’ Organisation runs alongside the Children’s Workforce strategy led by Department for Education and Skills, which covers school support staff, social care, health […]
Conference welcomes the UNISON National project and campaign ‘A Time to Act’. This Conference is aware of certain inequities in the Police Service in the provision of time off for trade union duties and activities. Conference is aware of existing policy as enacted as a result of Motion 22 of the 2004 Conference namely ‘Union […]
Conference notes the many initiatives that have taken place and are ongoing in Scotland in relation to the development of Social Work. These include:- 1)The establishment of the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and Care Commission 2)The introduction of the 4-year Social Work degree and the “fast track” schemes for postgraduates 3)The Care in Scotland […]
Conference notes that some women still face discrimination in the workplace purely because they are pregnant. Each year, around 30,000 working women are sacked, made redundant or leave their jobs due to pregnancy discrimination. No woman should be penalised for being pregnant. An investigation recently found that some women are unaware of their rights during […]
This Conference notes that mandatory testing for substance abuse has been introduced for all staff in the North Wales Police, with the intention of rolling it out to all other Police services in the future. This is an especially sensitive subject, requiring serious consultation arrangements. This Conference expresses its grave concern that such a procedure […]
Local government workers are coming under increasing pressure to work longer hours, often for no extra recompense, to cover for staff cuts and shortages. This is causing massive increases in stress levels exacerbating the situation and leading to further absence and staffing shortfalls. This spiral has been clearly demonstrated in the opinion polls conducted for […]