Given the current disarray in the provision of Public Transport, with cutbacks, cancellations etc. the model of privatised services has shown itself to be totally unsuited to the needs of the populace (particularly the needs of the older population). We therefore commit ourselves to a different model of Public Transport (eg, buses, trains etc.), one […]
Conference motions
Justice for the Windrush Generation Conference is extremely concerned at the continuing detriment suffered by retired members (or their heirs) who migrated to the United Kingdom in the 1950’s and 1960s, mostly from the Caribbean, who comprise the “Windrush Generation named after the ship, Empire Windrush which sailed from Jamaica to the UK exactly seventy […]
Conference notes with concern how badly served pensioners are by rail services and that matters have gone from bad to worse since privatisation. We are faced with cancellations; overcrowded trains; inadequate staffing at stations, on platforms and on trains; inaccessible platforms; closure of ticket offices; and lack of toilets and refreshment facilities on trains. The […]
This conference deplores the continuing decline in local bus services throughout the UK. Not only have services been substantially cut but those services that have been retained are often unreliable, unpredictable and infrequent. Buses are an essential part of the local, regional and national economies, playing a vital role in the transport system, especially for […]
Conference notes with concern the delicate balance of safely and securely caring for the welfare of detainees in a dignified and professional manner. The temporary loss of liberty whilst being detained coupled with the circumstances of arrest too often leads to irrational behaviour and self-harm whilst being confined. Tried and tested risk adverse methods of […]
Conference notes that many members working in front line roles are regularly exposed to traumatic working conditions. Members who are in roles that are exposed to new or additional trauma may therefore have a higher risk of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety and possibly Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which could result in […]
Conference notes that 2023 has been the Year of Black Workers and its focus has been ‘Establishing legacy to generate change’. This year is not, itself, the change we seek. It is the opportunity to generate change. Black workers often find themselves in low-paid, insecure work with poor terms and conditions. Besides immediate effects, this […]
This conference notes the campaign by the Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy (CAPH) to end the barbaric practice Hysteroscopies being carried out in the NHS with inadequate or no offer of pain relief. As the CAPH point out, unlike NHS Colonoscopy or Gastroscopy procedures, women undergoing Hysteroscopy are NOT offered a safely monitored conscious sedation. The […]
This conference notes that whilst 2023 is the Year of Black Workers, and its focus of ‘Establishing Legacy to Generate Change’, this year in and of itself is not the change we seek, it is merely the opportunity to generate change. Black Workers up and down our society often find themselves in low-paid, insecure work, […]
Conference notes with concern the evidence of the last few years that has shown an increase in poor mental health in workers across public services, including in police and justice workplaces. This was significantly exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic which saw people cut off from family, friends, and support networks. On top of this was […]
Conference notes that even in 2023 disabled workers in police and justice still aren’t getting the adjustments they need to allow them to do their job to the best of their ability and without exacerbating their impairments. UNISON surveys have consistently found that the majority of disabled workers across public services, including in the police […]
Unpaid Work is the most visible and public facing element of the Probation Service. First introduced as a sentencing option to the judiciary in 1973, it soon became popular as way of offering both punishment, rehabilitation and restoration to the community, it outperforms prison sentences when comparing re-offending rates and despite some dubious interventions from […]
Conference notes with concern the direction of travel of the latest proposals around Accredited Programmes in the Probation Service. The primary driver for this latest change project, known as the Next Generation, appears to be rooted in cost savings and in tacking the inefficiencies of programme delivery within the Prison system. The rationale for imposing […]
Conference notes that: 1)The Offender Rehabilitation Act (ORA) 2014 is the Act of Parliament that accompanied the Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) programme. The Act made changes to the sentencing and releasing framework to extend probation supervision after release to offenders serving short term sentences. It was also supposed to create greater flexibility in the delivery of […]
Conference notes with concern that the Probation Service is now affected by an on-going workloads crisis and that the following problems continue to negatively affect our members’ health, safety and welfare, such as: 1)Probation is full. Caseloads continue to rise inexorably. There are large backlogs in unpaid work orders. Unlike the Prison Service, which in […]