Effect of NHS Trust Organisational Change and the Impact for Agenda for Change

In today’s climate, within the NHS, changes are constantly happening to turn it into a profit making business, and mergers, staff reductions, and other distressing actions have all occurred. Consultations with staff appear to take place on an ad-hoc basis and lack full and meaningful discussions and negotiation. Staff experience new challenges on an almost […]

Housing Associations and Charities that refuse to recognise Trade Unions are Human Rights violators

This Community conference notes:- That a number of UK Housing Associations and Charities do not recognise trade unions for collective bargaining. Some of these employers are union busters and have de-recognised trade unions, attacked union representatives and blacklisted union and safety activists. The UN Charter of Human Rights, as well as International Labour Organisation (ILO) […]

FRAGMENTATION OF THE COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY (WORKING) SECTOR

Over the past few years the Fragmentation of the Community and Voluntary Sector has seen the decline of a number of community and voluntary organisations. This has resulted in the loss of staff and job roles leaving a void within the sector, where resources are diminishing. Speaking at the 2016 community service group conference in […]

Combating bullying and harassment of disabled workers in the Community Sector

Conference notes that workplaces in the Community sector are wide and varied ranging from national charities with thousands of workers to small organisations with a handful of staff. UNISON’s organisation within the Community sector is similarly varied with members being attached to national branches, dedicated community and voluntary sector branches, housing association branches. In some […]

Contracts and retenders

Conference notes that increasing cuts to local authority budgets and dwindling funding sources has led to contracts and retenders becoming increasingly competitive. More and more often the community sector has to compete with private companies. Contracts and future funding are being cut to the bone but the work required is being increased and the demand […]

Monitoring Activism

The National Black Member’s Committee welcomes the data it received from the UNISON RMS membership database in 2012. The data shows that there are fewer than average Black activists, but more white activists. The categories for Caribbean, African, Asian, Indian (UK other) needs to be updated and used to encourage Black members to become more […]

Caucus Meeting

This Conference notes that the Black members caucus meeting at the Community Service Group Conference is the only opportunity for Black members in the Community Sector to come together to discuss their issues. The caucus meeting have been used to identify potential motions for future Conferences as well as look at workplace and Branch issues. […]

Staying alive – the impact of austerity cuts on LGBT workers in community

Conference notes the report “Staying Alive: The Impact of Austerity Cuts on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Voluntary and Community Sector in England and Wales 2014, a report commissioned by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) which identified that reductions in funding from the public sector mean that LGBT community organisations are having to […]

Organising LGBT members in community

Conference notes that while the community sector is expanding rapidly, it is under unprecedented pressure, with workers expected to meet ever growing and more complex needs with decreasing resources. This is well-illustrated by the August 2016 report by the Consortium of LGBT voluntary and community organisations. 86% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community […]

Funding for Charities and the “National Living Wage”

Conference notes that in his 2015 Budget announcement the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced that the establishment of a “National Living Wage” for workers over the age of 25. The rate for this wage was established at £7.20 an hour from April 2016, rising to £9 an hour by 2020. Conference disputes […]

Violence at work and sick pay

Conference believes it is fundamentally wrong that some workers in the charity sector, and other sectors covered by the Community Service Group, who are exposed to violent situations in the course of their work, sustaining injuries are then suffering doubly because their employer fail to pay sick pay, or pay inadequate statutory sick pay. The […]

RAISING THE BAR IN SOCIAL CARE

Conference welcomes the national campaign Save Our Services and the national day of action which took place on November 16th 2016, which highlighted the need to retain Social Care services in-house and to encourage providers to adopt UNISON’s Ethical Care Charter. Conference notes that the North West Region in partnership initially with 35 branches across […]

STRATEGY FOR ORGANISING AND DEVELOPING OUR WORK

Conference notes the work undertaken by the Service Group Executive and in particular the Community Service Group in Scotland prior to the passing of 2016 National Delegate Conference Motion 2 ‘Organising for growth’. The preliminary work carried out by the Community Service Group in Scotland included a brief outline of regional Community structures and précis […]

Community in the Race to the Bottom.

Conference is concerned that Tory economic policies and austerity agenda is drawing the community sector, in particular, national charities into a competitive market resulting in them placing a commercial value on services which impacts not only on the morale of workers but increasingly results in attacks to our member’s terms, conditions and pay. More and […]

Brexit

Conference is concerned about the long-term impact on our Community member’s terms and conditions following the referendum result in which a majority of voters said they wanted the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. With Brexit comes the real risk of a negative impact on funding for the sector which, if reduced, would have […]