Conference notes with deep concern new research by UNISON on the disproportionate impact of public service cuts on Black workers. This research, conducted as part of UNISON’s Challenging Racism in the Workplace and piloted in Greater London in November- December 2011 and results of which were analysed in January 2012 showed that Black women working […]
Conference motions
Three in five people of faith in Britain support equal marriage! Stonewall’s five yearly polling of public attitudes shows that more that 80% of British adults under fifty now support the proposal. Civil partnerships are not enough, and as such treat us differently from everyone else. This is discrimination. You should not have to tick […]
Conference commends the work of the national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) committee with regards to raising awareness across this union of issues affecting LGBT members. It is now the norm for UNISON regional groups to have a high profile at the many Pride events up and down the country with many of our […]
This Conference believes that providing a sufficient stock of affordable decent-quality social housing is essential to help address the housing crisis in the United Kingdom, and especially the extreme difficulties that young people are experiencing in securing and retaining a home of their own. Conference recalls with heavy heart the claims by George Osborne in […]
Conference notes the advances in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality over recent years that have given LGBT people more options and choice of becoming a parent, whether it be as a single LGBT person or as a same sex couple. However there are still many LGBT people who are already parents or who […]
Today only twenty two per cent of MPs in the House of Commons and twenty per cent of members of the House of Lords are women. Compare this with Cuba where women hold thirty five per cent of parliamentary seats in the Cuban National Assembly. Therefore Cuba ranks sixth out of one hundred and sixty […]
Conference on 2 September 2011 Eric Pickles, the Secretary for Communities and Local Government new guidance called ‘A fair deal for the community and voluntary sector’. The guidance states councils should not carry out equality questionnaires and use the money saved to fund the community and voluntary sector. They claim that the questions asked about […]
For many years women have been the main carers within the home for their children, disabled and elderly parents. Women have fought for the right to be recognised and to be treated as equal to men. Many workplaces now have policies in place to enable employees to take time off work to care for their […]
Conference acknowledges that UNISON publishes some valuable information and guidance material for branches, activists and members on a regular basis and on varying workplace issues and/or recruitment based materials. Yet conference believes that there is not enough UNISON material tailored specifically for women and that the design and format of existing publications for women sometimes […]
Last year’s conference motion on Ovarian Cancer would have been a wake up call to women members unware of the necessity of early detection of ovarian cancer for there to be any reasonable chance of effective treatment. To be told one has cancer is terrifying enough, but for those whose cancers have no immediate symptoms […]
Conference will be aware that for some time we have been seeing in the public sector the increase in zero hours or permanent variable hours contracts, the majority of those being placed on such contracts are women. Sunderland Local Authority, in the Northern Region has been using variable contracts as a means of avoiding compulsory […]
Every year at National Women’s Conference we come together to debate motions, to listen and learn from each other, develop and set UNISON policy and direction. We debate motions on all sorts of issues that affect the lives and work of women. In recent years for example delegates have debated motions about domestic abuse, about […]
With the dramatic end of the Gaddafi regime, Libya has the chance for a different future, one that contains real freedoms and liberty for all its citizens and potentially many changes for the lives of Libyan women. Women have been significant in the struggle for a new and free Libya; taking to the streets in […]
In London 1684-1694 there was an important innovation. This was in the form of public street lighting and was part of a movement across Europe. It was an important innovation because it enabled business, leisure time and daily life to go beyond the confines of daylight hours which was previously bound by a curfew. Having […]
It is a sad truth that opportunities for capitalising on the success of union activity within the recent Arab uprisings have mostly been missed by the mainstream press. Some of you may have read, in tiny snippets, or in specialist media that unions have been a powerful element in generating the Arab Spring. In some […]