Workers Memorial Day

Conference notes that on 11 November, and on the closest Sunday after that date each year within the United Kingdom, civic and religious ceremonies are held to mark the death and injuries caused as a result of war. It is with sadness that Conference also observes that although the International Trade Unions Movement has designated […]

PFI and Devolution – An Integrated Approach

UNISON has taken the lead in producing excellent evidence-based analysis of the fundamental damage that the private finance initiative (PFI) does to public service delivery and public service workers. It has also demonstrated that the sums do not add up and that this is not value for money. Now the chickens are coming home to […]

Organising for Growth

Conference welcomes the 2005 recruitment figures which show that UNISON recruited 162,000 new members with a net gain of 32,000 members. With the exception of 2002, this is the highest number of members recruited in any year since 1994. Conference welcomes the challenging recruitment targets set by the National Executive Council for 2006. Conference further […]

NHS Marketisation

Conference notes with dismay the growing negative effects that the marketisation of the National Health Service (NHS) in England is having on staff and patient services. According to a recent survey by the Health Service Journal, 63% of hospital trusts have been forced to close wards as a result of financial shortages, a quarter have […]

Public Policy and the Promotion of Equality of Opportunity

Conference notes with concern the recent findings of the Commission for Racial Equality on the spectacular failure of government departments and public bodies to meet, in the most elementary way, the statutory duty on the promotion of racial equality. This failure impacts on UNISON members as service users and employees. Application of a similar but […]

Palestine and Israel

Conference welcomes the recent UNISON delegation to Palestine and Israel to see first-hand the reality of the situation on the ground and to discuss what support UNISON can give to our sister trade unions. Conference reaffirms policy adopted at National Delegate Conference in 2005. Conference notes that the political situation in both Palestine and Israel […]

Migrant Workers: Their Rights and Our Responsibilities

Conference welcomes the work that UNISON has already done in respect of organising, representing, protecting and supporting overseas workers, particularly in the health sector where reciprocal membership agreements have already been reached with overseas trade unions. However, despite our best efforts, many migrant workers are on the receiving end of unethical and often illegal practices. […]

Identity Cards

Conference notes that the government has now passed the Identity Cards Act 2006, paving the way for compulsory identity cards and a national identity database. On April Fool’s day the government established a new agency, the United Kingdom Identity and Passport Service (UKIPS) to deal with passports and identity cards. The new agency should not […]

A Patient-Led NHS

Conference calls on the National Executive Council to reinvigorate its campaign to oppose the government’s National Health Service (NHS) policy, announced in August 2005, “A Patient Led NHS”. The title alone is misleading, as we are continually experiencing on the ground. Patients’ interests do not figure in the interpretation of this policy and our members […]

Health and Safety

Conference reaffirms its commitment to health, safety and welfare in the workplace as a cornerstone of UNISON and recognises that time and again members put health and safety at the top of their agenda and that health and safety is one of the main union recruitment tools, with 70 per cent of new members considering […]

Labour Migration

UNISON warmly welcomes the enormous contribution that workers from overseas have made to our society. In particular we welcome their contribution to the effective running of our public services and to the diversity of our culture. In an increasingly globalised world the rate of labour migration has risen dramatically and is likely to continue to […]

Protecting and Organising Migrant Workers

Conference notes the growing importance of migrant workers to the United Kingdom (UK) economy. Employers are increasingly dependent on migrant labour to fill professional and skilled vacancies due to a shortage of UK candidates with the required experience or skills. Without these workers, a number of sectors would suffer, particularly health and childcare. Conference therefore […]

Pensions

Conference: 1)recognises that the campaign for decent pensions must be central to our union’s campaigning over the coming year; 2)calls on the government to accept that the country’s pensioners have already waited too long to receive a less unfair share of the country’s increased prosperity; 3)welcomes the increasing support for the view that there should […]

Elections 2007 and Beyond

In 2007 elections will take place for the Scottish Parliament, Scottish local authorities, the Welsh Assembly, Welsh local authorities and many local authorities in England. Conference notes that these bodies are responsible for spending billions of pounds on public services and employing either directly or indirectly the majority of UNISON members in those areas. Conference […]

Affordable Child Care Delivered by Properly Trained and Fairly Paid Childcare Workers

Conference commends UNISON’s commitment to campaigning for high quality, affordable childcare by properly trained and fairly paid child care workers. It also requires that childcare facilities should be suitably located in the vicinity of places of work. The campaigning must also bear in mind the needs of lone parents, parents in deprived areas and parents […]