Strategic Area Reviews (STARS) and FE/6th Form Colleges

This Local Government Service Group Conference notes with concern the vast amounts of money controlled by unelected, unaccountable quangos in the UK and the influence, for good or bad, on the lives of all of our members. This is perhaps demonstrated most clearly in the case of Boards of Management, which are the governing bodies […]

Reimbursement of extra expense incurred as a result of attending court at short notice

Conference instructs the Service Group Executive to enter into negotiations at the Police Staff Council to reimburse the additional costs (i.e. childcare) incurred by Police Staff when attending court on behalf of the Police Authority at short notice.

Agency Workers in Local Government

This Conference notes: 1)The large number of staff employed as agency staff within local government 2)That the employers in local government use agency staff as a measure to deal with what are long term recruitment and retention problems which are attributable to poor pay, terms and conditions 3)Agency staff are also used as a measure […]

Privatisation of Education

Conference notes with concern the undermining of comprehensive education and the incremental and multi faceted process of privatisation and the continued marketisation of education which has taken place since 1997 through private management of state schools; privatisation of LEA functions; and the continued use of PFI. The Government’s 5 year strategy for education will speed […]

Facility Time and Shift workers

This Conference is concerned at the continued difficulties faced by UNISON activists who are shift workers. It is likely that shift workers bear the brunt of inadequate facility time because: 1) Police Staff work in posts where release is more difficult because of their involvement in direct emergency service delivery 2) Facilities agreements do not […]

Service Group Seminar

Conference notes the decision made by the Service Group Executive with regard to the provision of the Service Group Seminar in 2005, in that branches are to provide their own accommodation. This Conference is concerned that this decision was made before the Service Group Liaison Committee and the National Executive Committee had provided their reports […]

Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill

This Conference welcomes the provision of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill which allows for the further expansion of Police Staff into more front line roles within the Police Service. However Conference is concerned that the provision of Police Staff in the role of designated custody officer could lead to the privatisation of custody […]

Climate Change

Conference notes the statement of the chairperson of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, warning that global warming is nearing a point of no return and calling for very deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. We further note that the United States and Australia continue to refuse to ratify the seven year […]

Bullying

Conference believes that bullying at work, in whatever form, is a major and significant issue which the trade union movement must continue to address and combat. Conference believes that bullying and inappropriate management behaviour can be a major cause of workplace stress and subsequent sickness. Workers then face a double whammy of draconian sickness procedures […]

Sickness Absence

Conference notes: 1)that employers are adopting increasingly draconian procedures which allow for an increase in the disciplining and dismissal of genuinely ill employees; 2)that it is often the case that the same employers are failing to abide by health and safety procedures or the Disability Discrimination Act; 3)that one of the single largest causes of […]

A Woman’s Place

Conference believes that a woman’s place is in her union and that UNISON should be fully committed to supporting those women who want to play an active part in trade union work. The most recent statistics show that 54 per cent of UNISON branch secretaries are male which is at least 21 per cent higher […]

Privatisation of Education

Conference notes with concern the incremental and multi-faceted process of privatisation and marketisation of education which has taken place under the Labour government through private management of state schools, privatisation of Local Education Authority (LEA) functions and education provision, and use of Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The government’s five year strategy for education will speed […]

Rule D.4.1.4 Self-Organised Groups

Rule D 4.1.4 Delete “lesbian and gay members” Insert “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members”

Domestic Violence

Conference is concerned that it is still not widely known that domestic violence accounts for at least 25 per cent of all violent crime, that one in four women will experience domestic violence at some time in their lives, and that every week at least two women will be killed by violent partners or ex-partners. […]

Return to Work following Childbirth

A law is already in place to ensure that women have the right to return to work after maternity leave. All too often, women are returning to work to find their job role has changed, their responsibilities and even their workplace. Although against current regulations, opportunities to return to their previous work are often denied […]