Research at national and international level has consistently shown that domestic violence is a form of gender specific violence. Violence against women is a violation of internationally guaranteed human rights, rights which the United Kingdom (UK) has signed up to, such as the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against […]
Conference motions
For years Women in UNISON have been active in the campaign “Raise the Roof on Domestic Violence”. This campaign has made great progress and now men have launched their own campaign on violence and women. On the White Ribbon campaign website, www.whiteribboncampaign.co.uk/, it states that the “White Ribbon Campaign UK is the United Kingdom branch […]
Many years have elapsed since we had ‘women in UNISON’ t-shirts, badges and literature available for promotional events, recruitment campaigns and collective identity. Although some individual branches and regions have sourced their own items for particular events, we miss having a national supply of ‘women in UNISON’ goods that we can all access, use and […]
Conference is appalled to note that, according to data from Rape Crisis : 1)one in four women have experienced rape or attempted rape; 2)one in seven women have been coerced into sex, rising to one in three among divorced and separated women; 3)the most common perpetrators of rape are husbands and partners; 4)ninety-seven per cent […]
Conference notes that the government has responded to the Women and Work Commission’s report, and has published an action plan “From the playground to the boardroom”, which is designed to break down barriers to women’s achievement. Measures include: 1)the roll-out of new ‘Equality Reps’ across England; 2)a major new ‘Exemplar Employer Initiative’ – the government […]
Conference recognises the importance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month each year and welcomes any initiative that raises the public knowledge of this cruel disease. Conference acknowledges and applauds the fundraising efforts of retailers who contribute to the campaign by promoting the sale of ‘Pink Products’. However, Conference is concerned that, in some cases, consumers who […]
The plight of many women held against their will and used as sex slaves came to the public’s attention during the World Cup in Germany, however this is only the tip of the iceberg. In Britain there are estimated to be at least 5,000 women who may be working as prostitutes after being trafficked to […]
The issue of domestic abuse is not a new issue but an ongoing one. Many women of all nationalities and cultures suffer in their everyday work and domestic life. The consequences are many and varied and may include physical, psychological, cultural and financial abuse. The abuse can be continuous or sporadic and often occurs during […]
Conference is totally opposed to the present situation in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals where pensioners, those persons over 60, are required to pay a daily subscription to enjoy television whilst a patient in a NHS hospital. We are aware that all patients have to subscribe but this is totally unfair to pensioners on fixed […]
Conference welcomes the introduction of Age Regulations which will outlaw age discrimination in employment and training from October 2006. Although it may be possible to outlaw age discrimination in the work place, changing the culture of ageism will be much harder. Older people continue to have to accept differences in treatment on the grounds of […]
Conference regrets that: 1)Lord Turner and the Pensions Commission have made no recommendations to improve the basic state pension until 2010: 2)the Government White Paper has no plans to increase immediately the basic state pension which represents at least half of many pensioners’ weekly income. Conference believes that improving the basic state pension and paying […]
Conference notes that the current pension system was designed in the 1940’s and cast women as dependents. This means that subsequent generations of women have lost out because of unequal pay, part-time working, and caring responsibilities giving them lower incomes over their lifetime and for too many, poverty in old age. The plight of women […]
The terms ‘Equalities’ and ‘Fair and Equitable Treatment’ are those upon which UNISON is based. However, when stated in conjunction with the various Retired Members sections at both regional and branch level, do not always apply. There appears to be a wide variation in financial and other support. It seems that some sections are able […]
Conference agrees that after 25 years of campaigning and consulting with pensioners across the United Kingdom (UK) that the National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) National Pensioners’ Charter with its 11 Draft Bills of Rights is more than a fair reflection of what UK pensioners need. Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to give their support […]
Conference calls on the National Retired Members’ Committee to: 1) encourage UNISON Regional Retired Members’ Committees to appoint their full entitlement of delegates to their appropriate TUC Retired Members’ Forum; 2) facilitate the exchange of information between UNISON Regional Retired Members’ Committees to assist in developing a coordinated approach to this area of work. The […]