Supporting and organising Community Members

Conference notes the work undertaken by the Service Group Executive since the passing of 2016 National Delegate Conference Motion 2 ‘Organising for growth’ and in particular the initiatives taken by UNISON centrally to further examine the issues related to the current barriers and opportunities to developing, organising and supporting our membership, recognising that key lessons […]

Social Care Recruitment and Retention Crisis

There have been longstanding and chronic issues around recruiting and retaining workers in the social care workforce. Skills for Care data showed a vacancy rate in England of more than 7% before COVID. Poor pay and terms and conditions and too many unscrupulous employers mean the care sector was already in crisis before COVID hit. […]

Campaigning on the Housing Crisis

Conference notes the publication in June 2021 of “A decent place to live”, a report commissioned by UNISON and produced by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) which identifies the shocking extent of the housing crisis in the UK and outlines a clear, positive vision for the future of affordable housing. This in-depth research […]

Countering fragmentation

The Community Service Group is very different from others within our union. There are more than eighty thousand members, employed by more than six thousand different employers. More than three thousand members are the only UNISON member at their employer. And most UNISON community members are part of branches where they are in a minority, […]

Organising to achieve fairer pay in social care

Throughout the pandemic we have seen how important Social Care Workers have been to the country, demonstrating their skills and professionalism, yet most don’t earn the real living wage and many are still on zero hours contracts. As more workers leave the sector, for better pay and recognition of their skills, we need to fight […]

Charitable sector emerging from Covid

Conference notes the publication in July 2021 of the Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI) research submitted to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Left Behind Neighbourhoods which outlines that those who live in 225 “left behind” neighbourhoods in England receive less than half the charitable grant funding than other deprived places. In this […]

Organising to End the Crisis in Social Care

Conference notes the judgement issued by the Supreme Court on 19 March 2021 in the case of Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake, which found that care workers employed on sleepover shifts were not entitled to the minimum wage and congratulates UNISON on pursuing this case to the Supreme Court. We believe that this devastating outcome […]

In-sourcing adult social care

Conference notes the publication in July 2020 Liverpool City Council’s report in conjunction with UNISON North West, the University of Kent, and the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE): “Who Cares? Reinventing Adult Social Care” which examines the case for the in-sourcing of social care and adds to the debate around this issue. This report […]