Recent times have witnessed a slew of criticism being laid at the door of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the regulator for nurses and midwives. To summarise but a few of these issues: i)The organisation was roundly criticized for striking off nurse Margaret Heywood for her role in covert filming of care that exposed […]
Conference motions
UNISON has argued strongly over the last year that moving towards regional pay will be damaging to local economies, to NHS patients and to our members. Conference continues to oppose regional pay for the following key reasons: i)Regional pay will drive down pay in lower cost areas of the country. ii)Regional pay will lead to […]
Conference believes there is no place for transphobia or discrimination on the grounds of gender identity in our healthcare workplaces, society or our union. Conference notes with concern that transphobic discrimination and bullying and harassment of trans people is still far too common. Conference welcomes the examples of good practice that exist within healthcare. For […]
This Conference is concerned to learn that there is increasing evidence of sickness management policies and capability procedures being used against disabled UNISON members. Disabled health members are of the view that employer policies and practices such as use of the Bradford Factor fail to reflect absences related to disability and can lead to instances […]
Conference notes that these are unprecedented times for the nursing profession. Across the UK nursing staff have faced attacks on not only their numbers but on their caring and compassionate skills. Depending on which newspaper you read it would appear that the nurses in general have turned into heartless unfeeling providers of care. Of course […]
UNISON is the principal union for staff within operational services and we need to continue to increase the profile of operational services staff within our organising and campaigning work as these members are the backbone of our union and our NHS. Conferences acknowledges that operational services members are under attack like never before as the […]
Conference notes with concern that the South West pay cartel is being used as a mechanism for cutting NHS terms and conditions, including breaking national agreements, and offering local pay arrangements – for example by introducing 6 day weeks, offering additional hours and pay at a time of job losses. Conference notes that although there […]
This Conference welcomes the work of Platform 51(the operating name of the YWCA England & Wales), and YWCA Scotland, to support girls and young women as they seek to achieve their potential. This Conference believes that the possibility for joint work with these bodies deserves to be explored in order to identify joint campaigning opportunities […]
Conference acknowledges that many of the cuts in public services have hit rural communities, already poorly served, harder than urban areas. Women who are already on lower incomes and reliant on diminishing benefits and public services are particularly disadvantaged. A recent survey conducted in the South West revealed that women are more likely to be […]
The Government’s proposed Universal Credit scheme, one of their flagship policies, is intended to consolidate benefits and tax credits into one single payment, thereby reducing complexity and administration costs significantly. The Government claim is that the new scheme will provide a greater incentive for people on benefits to work and ensure that they do not […]
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the womb lining is found outside the uterus. It affects an estimated 10% of women of childbearing age and has affected girls as young as 11 years. Its cause is unknown and diagnosis difficult and for those who suffer from the condition it can be chronic […]
The recent submission by women’s groups to the Leveson inquiry highlighted the relentless sexual objectification of women and girls in the press while topics such as rape and trafficking continue to be trivialised and made into a joke and women are still being blamed for being sexually assaulted. Actress and author Lucy Holmes is creator […]
Conference notes with concern that the Government wants to increase the state pension age to 68. This will mean that the United Kingdom will have the highest retirement age in Europe. The proposed changes to the state pension age are disproportionately impacting on the lives of women. The accelerated state pension age rise for women […]
Conference notes with concern that in September 2012 the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council adopted a resolution from Russia which linked human rights to ‘traditional values’ by a vote of 25 in favour and 15 against, with 7 states abstaining. This resolution was an unmistakable attempt to try to block the progress of women’s […]
Conference condemns the ongoing political drive to increase the proportion of domiciliary care jobs, which are done by women, being outsourced to the private sector. All the evidence shows that the privatisation of domiciliary care services results in reduced service provision to the most vulnerable and the reduction in the terms and conditions of our […]