Conference notes that some high profile media coverage of a 2008 employment tribunal judgment suggested that civil registrars were not obliged to carry out civil partnership ceremonies if that contravened their religious beliefs, despite the fact that employment tribunals do not set a legal precedent. The successful appeal against this ruling did not receive anything […]
Conference motions
Conference believes that the success of the government’s plan for a substantial expansion of apprenticeship schemes and places is dependent on schemes being introduced on a negotiated basis which provide high-quality training, with decent apprenticeship pay, and which do not seek to substitute for existing jobs. Conference also believes that such schemes offer the opportunity […]
Conference welcomes the Human Rights Inquiry undertaken by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The inquiry: 1)Assessed progress towards the effectiveness and enjoyment of a culture of respect for human rights in Great Britain; and 2)Considered how the current human rights framework might best be developed and used to realise the vision of a society […]
Conference notes the right to seek asylum is an internationally agreed human right under the Refugee Convention of 1951, which Britain signed after the Second World War, promising to provide sanctuary to those fleeing political and other forms of persecution. Conference further notes that many asylum seekers in Britain are incorrectly labelled “economic migrants” or […]
Conference notes the continued marketisation of services across the public sector, primarily in England, which has already created a market for services worth more than £80 billion each year. This market is often driven by the pressure to make efficiency savings and cut costs which will be made worse as the effects of the credit […]
The United Kingdom has one of the worst rates of child poverty in the industrialised world. 3.9 nine million children (30%) are living in poverty. In the North West over a quarter of our children are living in poverty. In some of our communities in the North West, as many as 65 per cent of […]
This Conference welcomes the announcement in the Queen’s speech in December that tougher licensing of lap dancing clubs will be included in the Home Office Policing and Crime Reduction Bill. Tougher licensing will allow gender equality to be considered in licensing processes and will protect the rights of women in the industry, by placing clubs […]
Conference notes that on 27 December 2008 Israel launched devastating air raids on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 300 people in the first day, one of the deadliest days for Gaza residents since Israeli occupation began 41 years ago. In total, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed over the past 20 days of […]
As women we need to ensure that young women are aware of the benefits of paying into a pension scheme at the earliest opportunity. In 2007, research by a private bank showed that over half of women aged between 35 and 44 had made no pension provision – apparently believing that they could rely on […]
This Conference notes the reporting of John Cruddas’ Early Day motion on the BNP’s “Racism Cuts Both ways” on the Lancaster Unity website on 9th January 2009 The Early Day Motion, signed by Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru MPs, was accompanied by a letter to the Home Secretary and the Attorney General demanding […]
Conference condemns the initiative of the British National Party who launched a campaign for “White History Month” in November 2008. Conference believes that this new development highlights the need for UNISON to continue to campaign against the BNP and is therefore concerned to discover that motions passed at National Black Members Conference in 2008 have […]
Following the fall of the Taliban government in late 2001 women in Afghanistan have in theory more freedom and equality. In reality, however, the plight they face is much different. Women in Afghanistan still face forced marriage, abuse, the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, and an eighty eight per cent illiteracy rate. Women […]
National Women’s Conference applauds the work carried out by the National Women’s Committee in relation to domestic violence. However, the current monitoring system as decreed by the Home Office does not take into account those aged under 18 who are perpetrators of domestic violence. For example as a result of the current monitoring process, a […]
Since 2006 when the Sandinista Government returned to power in Nicaragua a law prohibiting abortion was introduced. This made abortion even on medical grounds or as a consequence of rape illegal. For one hundred and thirty years Nicaraguan law allowed a woman to have an abortion when her life or health was in danger from […]
This Conference calls upon the National Women’s Committee to work with the National Young Members Committee to highlight the importance of young women becoming members of a pension scheme. As women we need to ensure that young women are aware of the benefits of paying into a pension scheme at the earliest opportunity, so as […]