Conference Attendance and Accountability

Conference notes with increasing concern that Conference business is liable to fall from the agenda if delegates are not on the Conference floor at the appropriate time. Conference should recognise that the funding of attendance is from national, regional and branch level and as such delegates have a responsibility to their branch/region to ensure that […]

Training on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues within the Public Sector

Conference notes that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) recognition within family friendly policies is sketchy despite the Sexual Orientation Regulations 2003. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that line managers knowledge and interpretation of these policies is often lacking and open to misinterpretation. Conference instructs the National LGBT Committee to: 1.Work in conjunction with the service […]

Craftworkers

This Service Group Conference notes:- 1)That there are currently some 8,500 Craft members in our union 2)That UNISON does not have a place on the JNC or Scottish Joint Council for Craft Workers 3)That on a national basis, effective representation of UNISON members via negotiating bodies does not exist 4)That Craft members are not covered […]

Nursery Nurses Pay

Under 1) add at the end: “in England and Wales”. Add new 2): “2) Welcomes the pay increases that nursery nurses achieved across Scotland and the Scottish Executive’s national review of the Early Years and childcare workforce due to be released for consultation.” Add new 3) 3) Notes the research evidence Nursery Nurses in Scotland […]

Underfunding of Social Care Services for Adults

Conference deplores the gross underfunding of care services for adults in all parts of the UK and recognises that those for the elderly and adults with disabilities are particularly threatened. Conference expresses its deep concern on the effect that this underfunding is having on the jobs and working conditions of our members working in these […]

The Disability Equality Duty and Local Government

Replace C) with: Ensure local government staff who have acquired new skills and responsibilities as a result of the new legislation have these recognised through the Job Evaluation processes and the application of equality proofed pay and grading structures to local government staff.

Local Government Pay

This conference condemns the announcement by the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, that public sector pay rises will be capped at 2% over the next three years and his call for more local and regional flexibility in pay bargaining. Conference notes that: 1)Inflation is currently running at 2.6% 2)Recruitment and retention problems in local government are running […]

Are Retired LGBT Members Invisible

This Conference is concerned that when LGBT members retire from the workplace they become invisible and therefore sidelined. Many of them will have been active within the union movement and taken part in major campaigns. The dynamism shown by UNISONS own LGBT section is proof of what its membership is capable of. Many of the […]

The UK Government’s Energy Review

Conference welcomes UNISON’s response to the Government’s Energy Review. We note that contrary to the growing clamour for a nuclear renaissance that there is no proven economic or environmental case for doing so. Conference believes that there remains an untapped potential to reduce the UK’s dependency on energy through energy conservation and savings measures. Conference […]

LGBT Conference

This conference welcomes welcome the increased participation by Energy Members at the 2005 LGBT Conference in Belfast. The Business and Environment Equal Opportunities Working Group (BEEOWG) has successfully engaged with Branches and Regions to raise the LGBT profile within Energy through specific LGBT events and, more recently, the successful Equalities Day. Conference is disappointed however […]

Outsourcing/Insourcing

Conference will be aware of the rush to outsource many of the functions following the privatisation of the UK Water Industry in 1989. The consequential effect of those outsourcings left our members with the loss of occupational pension final year salary schemes and a gradual loss of terms and conditions. Conference notes that the trend […]

Quality Contracts and the effects on bus company employees

Conference welcomes the involvement of the PTE Sector Committee in the close working relationship with Pteg through the auspices of the Public Transport Forum (PTF). Conference congratulates them on the work they have done in the promotion of quality contracts to ensure that the public will enjoy a bus service that they can be proud […]

The Disability Equality Duty

This Energy Conference welcomes the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 which will impose a new Disability Equality Duty upon energy employers from December 2006. We believe these duties could help reconstruct a barrier free society and provide equality of opportunity for the millions of disabled people who are in work or wanting work but who need […]

Developing an Effective LGBT Equality Strategy for Energy

Conference welcomes the growing recognition of the need to combat discrimination against LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) workers and the agreements reached with some energy employers to integrate work towards LGBT equality into their equality programmes. Conference further notes that some energy employers are seeking to introduce monitoring of workers’ sexual orientation and / […]

Blood Donations in Energy Workplaces

Male Energy members who work in the electricity and gas industries who have tried to donate blood have found that the National Blood Service has a ‘blanket’ ban in place against men who have ever had sex with other men, and so they are advised in their workplaces that their blood will not be accepted […]