STRATEGY FOR ORGANISING AND DEVELOPING OUR WORK

Conference notes the work undertaken by the Service Group Executive and in particular the Community Service Group in Scotland prior to the passing of 2016 National Delegate Conference Motion 2 ‘Organising for growth’. The preliminary work carried out by the Community Service Group in Scotland included a brief outline of regional Community structures and précis […]

Community in the Race to the Bottom.

Conference is concerned that Tory economic policies and austerity agenda is drawing the community sector, in particular, national charities into a competitive market resulting in them placing a commercial value on services which impacts not only on the morale of workers but increasingly results in attacks to our member’s terms, conditions and pay. More and […]

RAISING THE BAR IN SOCIAL CARE

Conference welcomes the national campaign Save Our Services and the national day of action which took place on November 16th 2016, which highlighted the need to retain Social Care services in-house and to encourage providers to adopt UNISON’s Ethical Care Charter. Conference notes that the North West Region in partnership initially with 35 branches across […]

Brexit

Conference is concerned about the long-term impact on our Community member’s terms and conditions following the referendum result in which a majority of voters said they wanted the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. With Brexit comes the real risk of a negative impact on funding for the sector which, if reduced, would have […]

Sick Pay

Conference believes that it is fundamentally wrong that so many employers in the community and voluntary Sector offer very restrictive sick pay schemes or have no scheme at all. In the modern era, a period of time off with full pay should be a basic right to which all workers are entitled. Statutory sick pay […]

Violence against community workers

Conference notes the mounting evidence that violence against staff working for Community employers is a serious and growing problem. In October 2016, the BBC broadcast information gathered by ‘Inside Housing’ showing that seven out of ten workers from housing associations had been either physically or verbally abused in the preceding twelve months. These appalling incidents […]

EU Nationals working in the community & voluntary sector

After the result of the Remain/Leave vote on 23 June 2016 the future of over 3 million people with the right to live in the United Kingdom was suddenly cast into doubt. The total number may be higher if their family members (spouses, parents, others) from outside the EU is taken into account. The current […]

Bullying and Harassment

Work life in the Community and Voluntary Sector should be about supporting individuals to achieve for them the best quality of life possible with the minimum of distraction and the maximum of support by colleagues and management. In reality it is nowhere near that Utopia, incredible as it may sound the culture of bullying and […]

Health & Safety Adherence for Lone Working

Within the Community and Voluntary Sector there are many members that due to the requirements of the services provided find themselves in the position of lone working. There are services up and down the country with many organisations that provide support to the vulnerable that live in single occupancy homes or within supported living schemes […]