G 4.2.4 Delete the current wording of existing rule G 4.2.4 and replace with: “In conjunction with the Branch Committee, ensure that the branch observes Union rules and the law with particular reference to data protection legislation to ensure that members’ personal data is processed compliantly and that all branch data breaches are reported to […]
Conference motions
Conference condemns the worsening restrictions of the right to strike in Britain with the draconian Minimum Services Bill which gives the government the power to set minimum service levels for border security, education, fire, health, nuclear decommissioning and transport services. This will empower employers to issue a ‘work notice’ which will identify the employees required […]
G 3.2 Insert new rule G 3.2: “G 3.2 From 1 July 2023 any branch meeting, including Branch Committee; General Meetings and Annual General Meetings can be held in person, online or hybrid.” Renumber subsequent rules.
Insert new rule G 4.1.7: “G 4.1.7 All Branch Officers shall complete the Union’s mandatory data protection training within three months of being elected; and any subsequent annual refresher training.”
Conference notes that we are in a cost of living crisis with inflation and energy prices soaring, outstripping pay deals in every sector. The increases in interest rates and the impact on mortgages, and therefore also private renting, as a result of the Truss government’s failed economic policies have only heightened pressures on households. In […]
Conference notes that it has debated many motions over recent years on social care, including for older people. However, the problems remain. Conference is appalled that adult social care continues to exist in a state of permanent crisis and that the sector remains severely underfunded, with hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled people being […]
Conference is deeply concerned at the changes in the law surrounding the requirement for mandatory voter ID at all general and by-elections in the UK and many other elections in England and Wales as part of the Elections Act passed in April last year. This is the requirement to show photographic proof of identity at […]
Conference notes that comments made by Keir Starmer on 28 October in a Mumsnet interview regarding trans youth healthcare have caused significant concern In response to a question from a Mumsnet user about the interim report by Dr Hilary Cass on the provision of trans youth healthcare, Starmer focussed on the idea of consent, saying: […]
Universities are autonomous organisations, delivering higher education and research, with the freedom to manage their own finances, subject to regulation. Each institution is different, with a complex mix of income streams depending on the nature of the students it teaches, the quantity and perceived quality of research it conducts to drive research income, and the […]
Higher education pay has fallen behind. Since 2009 our pay has lost around 28% of its value as a result of below inflation cost-of-living rises year on year. The extreme increase in prices during 2022 has brought this to a crisis point, and UNISON members working in Higher Education are facing real hardship as a […]
Conference believes that everyone deserves to be paid a real living wage. We call upon the National Higher Education Service Group Executive to ensure that in the next round of The New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES) negotiations a pay spine is proposed and promoted by UNISON representatives in which the lowest […]
Conference notes the success of UNISON’s Year of Disabled Workers 2022. Throughout the year we saw renewed focus on the experience of disabled members in our union, in the workplace and in society, including those in the Higher Education service group. We used the year to highlight the important contribution our disabled members make to […]
Higher Education professional support staff across the country provide a vital service to our universities and students by carrying out hugely varied roles across our Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), though too often this work is not given the recognition it deserves by employers. UNISON has a brilliant membership benefits package. There are opportunities to promote […]
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) gives people the right to request information from universities. The Act aims to promote a culture of transparency and accountability, and therefore facilitate better understanding of how the universities carry out their duties, why they make the decisions they do, and how they spend public money and that […]
The primary role of UNISON, or any Trade Union, is to use the collective power of its members to deliver lasting and significant improvements to pay, pension rights and working conditions. We cannot help but be mindful of, and worried for the health and wellbeing of our members in HE, facing as they have been […]