Conference is concerned at the government cuts to councils for bus services, £27m in the current year and the impact this will have on rural communities who depend on bus services to get around. Rural bus services are being wiped out in many areas of England and Wales due to cuts in subsidies. Described by […]
Conference motions
Conference is concerned to learn that the rail industry is planning to replace paper train tickets with smartphone technology within three years and the impact this will have on older/elderly travellers who it is feared will be subsidising younger generations. Campaign group Railfuture has warned that elderly people who do not have smartphones and will […]
Conference notes that in a recent survey, 51% of the population prefer to remain living together in long-term relationships without feeling the need to go through a ceremony of marriage. If UNISON members reflect society, then this would mean over half a million members, including retired members, will find themselves in this position. There is […]
Conference notes that according to a report published by the Building Research Establishment “Homes and Ageing in England” more than 2 million older people live in homes that fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard, with 1.3 million in homes with a serious hazard resulting in additional and unnecessary costs to the NHS, particularly from […]
Conference notes that the government is proposing new Local Government Pension Scheme investment regulations and asset pooling. Whilst there could be advantages in the pooling of LGPS funds, should this go forward, the proposal also gives new power to the government to decide where council pension funds make investments. As such, Conference fully endorses UNISON’s […]
We have taken this heading from the title of an evidence review commissioned by Age UK, and published in April 2015. The review is seen as a way of bringing attention to this problem at a time of increasing risk and vulnerability. It is suggested that, among other things, the recent reforms to private pensions […]
Conference notes the report of the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee into the collapse of the Kids’ Company charity. Criticism was singled out for the charity’s trustees and the Charity Commission. According to the report the valuable work of this charity, along with its “inspired and motivated employees” was let down by the […]
Composite A NEPAL EARTHQUAKE The Nepal Himalayan earthquake struck on the morning of 25th April 2015 at 11.56, killing more than 7,000 people. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the worst for 81 years. The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing at least 19 people, making it the deadliest day on the mountain in history. […]
Composite B BLACK MENTAL HEALTH. Conference, the theme of mental health crops up a lot at these conferences and with good reason. The Mental Health Foundation which is the leading mental health research organisation in the UK states that black people from the UK are: More likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems More […]
Conference welcomes the news that the Living wage has been increased to £9.40 per hour in London and £8.25 elsewhere. It is right and proper that UNISON is fully behind moves to encourage even more employers to sign up to the living wage. It is not acceptable that many of our members work 35 hours […]
Following the Chancellor’s budget speech on 8th July 2015 and the introduction of the “National Living Wage” we call on conference to lobby, support and campaign to prevent attacks on terms and conditions of the members working in The Third Sector. The Third Sector is now further under attack from the employers due to the […]
Conference notes and applauds the role UNISON has played, and continues to play, in the campaign for a Living Wage. Around 4.8 million people, 20% of the working population, are paid less than a Living Wage – the hourly rate set by the Living Wage Foundation calculated according to the actual cost of living, and […]
Conference notes within the community sector it is can be difficult to negotiate paid time off for trade union workplace representatives to carry out trade union duties, particularly in smaller workplaces. Workplace reps are entitled to paid time off to cover trade union duties related to collective bargaining on issues including terms and conditions of […]
Conference notes the challenges of organising lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members in community, partly at least due to the way in which we are structured. Members may belong to a national branch, a bespoke community branch, a housing association branch, a health branch, a local government branch and/or a small branch. Where members […]
Conference notes the vital importance of expanding the spirit and ethos of trade unionism amongst students. To this end, as a highly politically sensitive area of the union, we need to foster closer relations with students unions through the UK. Students, as a group of ‘consumers’, need to realise that with increased tuition fees, they […]