All Health Trusts in our region have recruited new nurses from the Philippines. Our activists have been working hard to try and recruit them and include them in UNISON. One of the most useful tools to attract migrant workers has been our immigration advice clinic. On top of the Joint Council for the Welfare of […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that Black people in the UK are disproportionately more likely to be detained against their will as a result of mental ill health. The United Nations Committee for the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) 2017 report expressed concerns about the high number of Black disabled people compulsorily detained and treated against their […]
Conference notes that Disabled Black workers are disproportionately targeted when it comes to disciplinary processes, which is often linked to racism and discrimination as well as a lack of understanding and support for the barriers faced by disabled people, including those with non-visible/non-apparent disabilities. Black disabled people are also over-represented when it comes to capability […]
Conference we all know that as Black people we are disproportionately represented within all aspects of society, this includes education and particularly, exclusions of Black pupils. The number of permanent exclusions across all state-funded primary, secondary and special schools has increased from 5,795 in 2014/15 to 6,685 in 2015/16. This corresponds to around 35.2 permanent […]
Conference notes that The Race Relations Act came into force on 8th December 1965 in Britain, to promote non-discrimination and equality however fifty one years after its creation we note a lack of significant progress in society as members continue to cite numerous blatant examples of racism in our society and workplaces. The equality act […]
Conference notes that employers are failing in their duty of care towards all staff with mental health issues, and this has a particular effect on Black Workers. Recent UNISON research found that 25 percent of local government workers in Scotland had experienced mental health issues at work, and the figure for Black Workers was 50% […]
Conference this Government has done a great injustice against all women who were born in the 1950s. By increasing the age of women’s state pensionable age and not informing them of the true impact this would have on their lives. At a time when they would be planning for their retirement in the last 2 […]
Conference notes with concern that despite efforts to bring further equality into society, evidence shows that Black workers are still being held back in the work place. Inequalities in employment and income persist and under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) there is no legislation that states that Employers should publish and report on such […]
Conference, although the topic of Black people’s mental health has returned to conference on several occasions in recent years, it does not appear to be improving. Mental health is a two headed beast for Black communities, firstly stigma attached to mental health prevents individuals from accessing services, when they do eventually access services they are […]
Black members continue to be disproportionately affected by ongoing austerity, attacks to public services and the welfare state which can, in turn, impact on their health. Individuals can suffer from physical or mental health issues which make it difficult for them to work without reasonable adjustment being put in place. In recent years some of […]
A decent and affordable home is essential for all. It provides shelter, enables people to put down roots, raise their families, find employment and contribute to society. It’s also a prerequisite for good health, the best education chances and a decent quality of life. Working people need access to decent and affordable homes near their […]
In 2009, the Department for Work and Pensions embarked on an experiment to understand the scarcity of non white faces in top managerial post in UK’s organisations. 2,000 fake job applications were created in response to 1,000 real vacancies across multiple sectors, professions and pay grades. Similar CVs – one with a “traditional Anglo-Saxon” name […]
Conference is seriously concerned that Black workers face a triple whammy of discrimination in the labour market, disadvantage in getting decent and well paid jobs and destitution in retirement caused by low pay, an ethnic and racial pay gap and lack of access to good occupational pensions. The impact of these policies means that in […]
UNISON has always been at the forefront of this work in the trade union movement and much good work continues to take place. However, more Black activists need to take part and more needs to be done. The continued rise in the levels of racism and the growth of fascist organisation across the UK demands […]
UNISON has about 63,000 young members and of these there are approximately 5,000 Black members. There is a noticeable and worrying shortage of young Black members and activists in UNISON. More needs to be done to recruit young Black members and to encourage them to become involved at all levels of the union. Young Black […]