Review of the Equality Act

Conference notes that the Equality Act 2010 has now been in place for over ten years and despite both the House of Lords and the United Nations stating that it fails disabled people there are still no plans for a review. The government’s recent Disability Strategy, published on 31 July last year, is a very […]

Not in Our Name

Conference is concerned about the impact resolutions agreed at a meeting of UNISON’s National Executive Council on 6 October 2021 have had, and could have, on our union and our members. These resolutions were added to the agenda despite advice from the legal department that four of these resolutions were in breach of UNISON rules, […]

For Safety – End Support for the Nordic Model

Conference notes that UNISON’s policy on sex work, adopted in 2010, is to support decriminalising the selling of sexual services while introducing a sex buyers law criminalising those who purchase those services. Conference recognises that the great majority of sex workers are women. Conference also recognises a significant number of women sex workers identify as […]

Rule G Branch Organisation

Add new rule G 1.4: “G 1.4 Each Branch shall have an additional ‘on-line’, ‘virtual’ or ‘hybrid’ meeting procedure in their local rules and/or standing orders to improve efficiency, participation and the environment.”

Rule F Regional Council

Add new rule Rule F 4.3.5: “F 4.3.5 The region’s standing orders shall have an ‘on-line’ or ‘virtual’ meeting procedure option to improve efficiency, participation and the environment.”

Rule G Branch Officers

G 4.1.1 Add after: “Women’s Officer (who must be a woman)”: “Environmental Officer (also known as Green rep)”

Rule D Powers

Add new rule D 2.11.13 and renumber accordingly: “D 2.11.13 to issue model procedures for ‘on-line’ or ‘virtual’ meetings to all national committees to improve efficiency, participation and the environment.”

Young Workers, Burnout and the Right to Disconnect: The Negative Impact of Remote Digital Work on Young Members’ Well Being During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Conference notes that even before the pandemic mental health and stress at work were among the leading issues raised by young workers. Conference notes that the pandemic has only exacerbated young workers’ concerns about mental health, whether that is due to working in stressful conditions on the front line, or due to isolation from friends, […]

UNISON at 30

Next year, in 2023, UNISON will celebrate 30 years as a trade union. At its creation, UNISON became a union with the majority of its members being women and from the start put rules in place to ensure proportionality. Delegates to UNISON conferences and committees across all its structures ensure that two-thirds of those nominated […]

Challenging Sexism and Misogny – Protecting Women

Conference notes with alarm and shock the report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), into the abhorrent and discriminatory workplace culture at Charing Cross Police Station that was published on 1 February 2022. The report identified the exchange of hateful and offensive messages between a group of 19 police officers. Numerous messages were […]

UNISON recognition by Defra

A number of posts within the Environment Agency have been transferred to the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) over the past few years. Also, some new Environment Agency vacancies are advertised as Defra posts. UNISON has strong representation on behalf of our members in the Environment Agency. 1)We are entitled to elect representatives […]

Mental health of key workers in the Water Industry

Conference, during the COVID-19 pandemic water industry workers started to hear the terminology that they were key workers. Conference notes the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, whether on staff working under stressful conditions, people isolated from friends and family by lockdown measures, the physical impact of the virus itself, or the […]

Public Transport in the Post-Covid Era

As we emerge from the pandemic, usage of buses is 70-80% of the 2019 level. The figures for rail travel and tram journeys are slightly below that level. Transport companies are facing greater staff shortages than at any time during the pandemic. This is a result of staff leaving for alternative jobs, such as Heavy […]

Speak Up and Speak Out

Despite efforts to eradicate misogyny, discrimination, bullying, sexism, aggression and intimidation in our workplaces, society and in our union, we still have a long way to go. If we are to achieve a truly equal society, we must consider what more needs to be done within our own movement. UNISON with over one million women […]

Not in Our Name

Conference notes with extreme concern the decisions taken by UNISON National Executive Council to change UNISON rules without National Delegate Conference approval as set out in the Rule Book. While the National Executive Council has power to interpret rules, the power to change them is vested solely in the National Delegate Conference, the supreme democratic […]