Conference notes the continued threat to health & well being of health care staff caused by needlestick injuries. Some estimates put the total number of exposures in the UK to blood borne viruses (HIV, Hep C & Hep B) in healthcare settings caused by sharps injuries as high as 100,000. It also notes with alarm […]
Conference motions
Conference recognises the commitment given by many UNISON representatives to the implementation of Agenda for Change through their participation in the matching, job analysis, evaluation and review procedures. This is in addition to the development of job descriptions and ksf post outlines. Over the last 3 years there have been hundreds of reps that have […]
Conference recognises that many of the attacks on the NHS over the last few years have centred on Administrative and Clerical staff. These include: – 1)Outsourcing and offshoring medical secretarial work; 2)Centralisation of payroll functions; 3)Privatisation of payroll functions; 4)The wholescale privatisation of logistics in England. As the pressure for “efficiency savings” grows, workforce plans […]
Conference welcomes the re-launch of the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) in 2007 and recognises that this aspect of Agenda for Change had been severely compromised by financial constraints. Despite these positive developments Conference remains concerned that resources allocated for application of staff training and development including the KSF are most vulnerable in times of […]
We welcome Unison’s continued commitment to the implementation of KSF and the recent addition of training money to assist staff in lower pay Bands. We are concerned however at the lack of infrastructure and investment in many organisations to support its implementation. Many organisations have no dedicated staff resource to implement and guide staff through […]
Conference welcomes the progress made in embedding partnership working between unions, employers and governments at national level in each of the four countries of the UK. Whilst recognising that UNISON has significant differences with Government over the marketisation of healthcare provision in England and Northern Ireland, we believe that where we share common perspectives there […]
Conference recalls that at the Health Conference at Gateshead in 2006 a resolution was passed concerning the position of UNISON members, most commonly working in learning disability services, who had transferred from the NHS to voluntary sector providers. Conference regrets that little progress appears to have been made in implementing this resolution, in contrast to […]
Conference notes the reference to the reduction of medical secretarial posts and the creation of lower paid, lower skilled audio – typist roles in typing pools in Composite E carried at the 2007 Health Conference. Sadly this is a trend which is continuing within the NHS in England. Conference believes that this is a cynical […]
Conference notes that under the banner of Keep the NHS Working, UNISON continues to campaign at every level against the marketisation and privatisation of the NHS. By maintaining a high profile in the press and media, among ministers, politicians, employers and key influencers, UNISON has been effective in drawing attention to its concerns at the […]
Conference congratulates all the groups of staff who have successfully resisted outsourcing of their work and jobs. In particular, the threat of outsourcing of medical secretarial work appears to have receded, largely as a result of the concerted campaign by UNISON members across the UK. However, Conference is concerned that other groups of A&C workers […]
Conference notes the recent moves towards increasing the integration between health and social care in government policy in Scotland, England and Wales and notes that health care and social care are already fully integrated in Northern Ireland. Conference is concerned that moves towards further integration may have a huge impact on staff terms and conditions […]
Conference notes the creation of the UNISON Equality Scheme which promotes good practice in mainstreaming equalities issues throughout the union. At a time when UNISON is pressurising employers to fully implement the public sector equalities duties it is important to hold our own processes to similar levels of scrutiny. Conference calls on the Health Service […]
Conference notes the excellent article in the November 2007 edition of UNISON In-Focus magazine concerning the TUC Campaign “Speaking up for Vulnerable Workers.” Conference notes. It is quite likely a large number of the figure estimated in the article (ranging from 250,000 to a million) work covering Agency, Casual and Migrant workers are employed in […]
Conference notes that, despite strong campaigning by UNISON, pay and conditions for our members in the community and voluntary sector (CVS) are inferior to those in the NHS. As CVS organisations provide an increasing number of core public services and this gap becomes more acute, it becomes increasingly unacceptable both for our members and for […]