Conference, it seems incomprehensible that currently, Black workers would be suffering the indignity of having their names changed in the workplace to make it easier to pronounce and are often westernised in the process. Names represent deep personal, cultural, familial, and historical connections. Our name gives us a sense of who we are, the communities […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that to impose the changes needed to achieve promises of racial justice, equity and inclusion, organisations require all hands-on deck. Black workers continue to demand action against racial injustice and movement toward more equitable workplaces – ones where all employees belong, regardless of their racial or ethnic identities. To build a culture of […]
UNISON is a growing union, and we seek to recruit members from all backgrounds across thousands of workplaces, despite this many branches have found it difficult to recruit and engage with members from Black communities there are barriers both external and within UNISON that also impact on black participation. Some of the barriers include: 1)Black […]
Conference notes that everything is going up fast – 12% now but forecasts of upwards to 22%. However, the pay of many UNISON members has been effectively frozen for almost 12 years. We can’t make ends meet! We have a cost-of-living crisis because of the decisions made by political leaders and their friends running big […]
In section 9. Limit of speeches Delete 9.4 “If there has been no speaker against the motion, no questions asked about the motion and any amendments have been accepted by the mover of the motion then there is no right of reply as there is nothing to reply to.”
The Nationality and Border Act which became law in April 2022, opens the door for the Government to transfer its Refugee Convention responsibilities to another country for money estimated at £1.5 billion, by forcibly expelling asylum seekers to Rwanda, following Australian example, which has been condemned as cruel, inhuman, or degrading. Under the new five-year […]
Conference notes once again the ongoing and concerning lack of access to immigration advice and representation through UNISON legal services. Conference notes that for members faced with criminal proceedings, our legal support kicks in straightaway, but that when a migrant worker’s employment is threatened by an immigration issue, advice is limited to a phone helpline […]
Conference acknowledges that Black Migrants, including Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender plus (LGBT+) Asylum Seekers, face an unprecedented attack on their Human Rights. We saw on 14 June 2022, four asylum seekers were forced onto a plane in tears, some in shackles, waiting to be sent 4,000 miles from the United Kingdom (UK) – […]
Conference notes that for many years Ghana’s government has been extremely hostile to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and plus (LGBT+) people. Currently same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under the Criminal Code 1960, which criminalises acts of ‘unnatural carnal knowledge’. This provision carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment. Only men are criminalised under this […]
Conference is clear that public services in the UK could not exist without migrant workers. At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, different petitions were raised calling on the government to scrape the payment of NHS surcharge by migrant workers. In October 2020, the government agreed that those migrant workers who were not on a […]
Conference notes that there are a disproportionate number of newly qualified Black social workers failing their post qualification programme. The Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) is a 12-month employment-based programme of support and assessment for newly qualified social workers (NQSWs). Participation in the ASYE supports NQSWs to consolidate their degree learning, develop capability, […]
Conference reaffirms that: 1)In employers across our service groups Black members are facing job losses, impaired access to training, discrimination, bullying and restricted career development; 2)For too long employers have made public commitments to tackle race discrimination but have failed to convert words into action; 3)The best way to deliver race equality in public services […]
Recruitment and retention have rightly been the key priority for UNISON over the last 18 months and initiates such as Grovember and the activity in May have ensured that our membership has grown and has increased UNISON’s visibility in workplaces however further work is still be done particularly amongst engaging with Black workers. This should […]
Recruitment and retention have rightly been the key priority for UNISON over the last 18 months and initiates such as Grovember and the activity in May have ensured that our membership has grown and has increased UNISON’s visibility in workplaces however further work is still be done particularly amongst engaging with Black workers. This should […]
Recruitment and retention have rightly been the key priority for UNISON over the last 18 months and initiates such as Grovember and the activity in May have ensured that our membership has grown and has increased UNISON’s visibility in workplaces however further work is still be done particularly amongst engaging with Black workers. This should […]