Conference notes the dramatic changes that have take place in housing policy and provision in the last 30 years and those presaged by the Housing White Paper. Conference further notes the significance of housing costs and affordability and their impact on living standards, the ability to live near the workplace and the economic, environmental and […]
Conference motions
Conference notes with alarm the growing crisis of underfunding of local government and the NHS, giving rise to a crisis in social care and related health services. Local authorities have undergone average cuts to their budgets of 37% up to 2015/16, while inflationary pressures have increased. A further £6.1 billion will be taken from councils […]
Conference notes that outsourcing and privatisation constitute a failed economic model for local government services. It only serves to reduce our members’ pay, terms and conditions and maximise profits for contractors, consultants and shareholders. Conference also notes that services get worse following privatisation and outsourcing. Private companies have a legal duty to reward shareholders, so […]
Currently if a member’s employment contract ceases on medical capability grounds they may qualify for immediate payment of their pension, irrespective of age, on the grounds of ill-health. Currently on the advice of a medical advisor retiring members are allocated to one of three tiers. The member’s pension is enhanced in the case of Tier […]
Conference notes that youth work professionals, including both qualified youth workers and youth support workers, perform vital jobs in our communities. In countless ways they help young people to lead positive lives as members of society. Conference further notes that the youth work profession has come under increasing attack in recent years. The 2016 UNISON […]
Conference notes that our members employed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and its contractors are constantly under the threat of being deregulated out of employment. They continue to face bullying, harassment and attacks in the workplace, as well as erosion to their pay and benefits. Conference also notes that the future of meat inspection […]
Conference notes: 1) The major changes taking place in the role of local government; 2) That central government funding for local government has been in steep decline since the beginning of the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2010, and that local government has taken the brunt of the policies of public sector ‘austerity’ […]
Conference believes that mental ill-health among the local government workforce is a huge and growing concern. A culture of long hours working, bullying, harassment and abuse is commonplace among local authority staff, with three quarters reporting consequent rising stress levels and declining morale. Meanwhile growing levels of sickness absence, with no cover due to cuts […]
UNISON Health Conference notes: 1)The alarming news that the government is encouraging councils to increase council tax in an attempt to fund massive funding gap in health and social care provision. 2)The King’s Fund has reported that the share of GDP spent on health has dropped from 8.8% in 2009, to 7.3% in 2014/15, and […]
Conference notes the success of branches who have previously won a pay rise for their lowest paid staff through Living Wage campaigns. Their successes should be celebrated and used to inspire other branch-led campaigns across the country. However, whilst increases to the Living Wage are to be welcomed, conference notes that some employers have fallen […]
Conference notes that across the UK there are a number of current initiatives seeking to bring about service transformation. These include, but are not limited to, Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) in England, the ten year vision for health and social care based on the Bengoa report in Northern Ireland, and further moves towards more […]
Conference notes that the apprenticeship levy and the adoption of targets by the four country administrations will drive an upsurge of apprenticeships in the NHS. The imperative for NHS organisations to recoup the money they are now required to pay into the levy means that apprenticeships will become a major means of training and developing […]
Conference notes the findings from the recent report identify that here in the North East Combined Authority (NECA) area, the health and wellbeing gap with rest of the UK remains high, facing challenges in cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, mental health problems and rising levels of excess life expectancy. The Region is served […]
Conference is hugely concerned that the plans by NHS England to develop Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) have to date had no local involvement of the key groups and stakeholders who will be affected by these plans. Local politicians, trade unions and more importantly local communities have been excluded from all discussions and initial consultations […]
Conference notes that Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) are plans for the future health and care services in England and were to support the NHS to deliver the changes set out in the ‘5 Year Forward View’. They first appeared in planning guidance at the end of 2015 and their original purpose was to: 1)Improve […]