Still Fighting For Equality

Conference welcomes the introduction of the Equality Act 2010 under the Labour government but notes with heavy heart that the specific public sector equality duties were delayed and reviewed by the conservative-led coalition government. Conference notes that there is unlikely to be any further legislative gains under this government. Conference notes that – for now […]

Save Strathclyde Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Switchboard

Strathclyde Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Switchboard is the last LGBT Switchboard in Scotland open 7 nights a week, every day of the year. The service provides support to LGBT people with a wide range of problems and provides a listening ear to all who call. The service is run by LGBT volunteers. The […]

Recruiting and Organising Young Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Members

Conference recognises that young people are among those disproportionately affected by the Tory-led government’s attacks on public services – especially education – jobs, employment rights and pensions. Cuts to youth work services, Connexions, housing benefit, the Education Maintenance Allowance and the hike in tuition fees – all are examples of the government’s contempt for young […]

English Defence League

Conference notes: 1.The ongoing threat from the far right and that cuts in essential public services, increasing poverty, and massive increases in unemployment, create the conditions in which the far right can increase its support. 2.The decision of National Delegate Conference 2011 that the campaign against the far right should be an integral part of […]

Localism Bill, Religious Exemption and Discrimination

Conference notes that: 1.The Localism Bill is aimed at ‘a radical shift of power from Westminster to local people, increasing citizen participation, promoting community ownership, lifting inspection burdens on councils and removing regional government’. 2.The ‘Community Right to Challenge’ is presented as a measure to encourage the involvement of charities, social enterprises or employee mutuals […]

Glasgow Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre

Conference remembers the fantastic hospitality enjoyed during Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Conference 2007 at the Glasgow LGBT Centre. Conference is disappointed to learn that, for various reasons, this facility has been withdrawn, leaving a huge gap in the provision of services for LGBT people in Glasgow. Conference notes that Glasgow City Council announced […]

Building the Public’s Support For LGBT Public Services

Conference deplores the visible detrimental impact the Tory-led government’s brutal and unnecessary cuts have had on public services, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) services. These ideologically driven cuts to public sector funding have seen targeted services such as those delivered by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) prevention workers, LGBT Youth Workers and Equalities Officers […]

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Black Members – Increasing Participation and Representation

Conference notes the good work that has been achieved in self organisation and representation for Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) members at a national level. However, there is still a disproportionate amount of Black LGBT members represented at regional delegation level at National LGBT Conference, within regional LGBT groups and markedly so at […]

Not Delivering on the Equality Act and Attacks on the Equality and Human Rights Commission

Conference welcomed the approval of the Equality Act in 2010, the final legislative act of the last Labour government. But this Tory-led government has shown that they are not committed to equalities. Savage public service cuts are affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) workers and provisions for LGBT service users. This government is backtracking […]

The Mental Capacity Act and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People

Conference welcomes the recent Personalisation in Social Care documentation released earlier this year, which describes the personalisation of care packages for those who require them. Personalisation considers the individual and puts them at the centre of the process of making important choices about their care and how they can be effectively supported. The Social Care […]

Stopping Public Sector Pension Hacking

Conference believes that this government needs to learn to have some respect for hardworking public sector workers and we know a thing or two about respect. The quick fix hacking axe of the coalition government is decimating public services and ruining people’s lives. We will not allow government to hack away our hard earned pensions, […]

Absence management – HIV and other disabilities

Conference notes employer duties to make reasonable adjustments in their management of disabled employees who are absent from work as a result of their disability. We call on energy employers to take their responsibilities seriously, and to pay specific attention to employees living with HIV. Many energy employers are scared or ignorant of HIV, and […]

Tackling LGBT discrimination from energy customers, colleagues and members of the public

Conference welcomes the 2010 Equality Act – one of the last Labour government’s final pieces of legislation. This provides a wide ranging basis for negotiating in our energy workplaces. It places a duty on every employer, whether in the private or public sector, to protect their employees from discrimination from colleagues, customers or members of […]

Low Pay

CAMPAIGNING AGAINST LOW PAY. UNISON remains committed to gender equality within all our pay structures and we commend the highly successful on-going campaign financed and delivered by our organisation to achieve this end. At the same time low pay appears to have been largely ignored as a priority of our members. Since 1990 UNISON has […]

Copper Theft

Health and Safety: Copper theft from Distribution Networks. As the price of scrap metal soars even higher so the growing temptations to steal scrap metal – particularly copper – increases. More Distribution Network Organisations have to deal with the real threat posed by the theft of copper both from substations and off the live Network. […]