The pandemic has put in sharp focus the value and importance of care work, the majority of which, paid and unpaid, is still undertaken by women. However, conference notes that the value and importance of care work is not reflected in the pay and working conditions of care workers. Jobs traditionally done by women are […]
Conference motions
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. […]
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 […]
Conference notes the adoption of motion 72 “Supporting Our Branches: The Branch Resource Review” at 2021 Special Delegate Conference. Conference further notes and endorses the principles contained in Branch Resource Review Proposal 12: Organising School. Conference believes that the training, education and development of Community members is pivotal to ensuring that UNISON’s equality and organising […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Conference notes the government consultation which opened on the 7th February 2020 over the new First Homes housing policy. This proposal seeks to divert section 106 funds away from the provision of affordable homes and instead use it to offer discounts on new properties for purchase in England. Conference notes that opposition to these proposals […]
Conference notes the outcome of the General Election on December 12th 2019 which resulted in the re-election of a Conservative government. The �Skills for Care� workforce development charity that operates as a delivery partner for the Department of Health and Social Care estimates that there; 1. are 1.52 million social care jobs within local authorities, […]
Conference notes that many of our community members work in social care where they provide care services to older and disabled people. This includes members employed as personal assistants (PAs) via personal payments budgets. Additionally, some of our disabled members in Community are also recipients of social care which allows them to overcome barriers they […]
Conference notes that although disabled workers are legally entitled to reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, some community employers continue to delay or seek to avoid implementing reasonable adjustments. In particular, adjustments agreed with one manager may disappear when staff move teams or change managers. Many members in community are also unaware that Access […]
The National Black Members Committee welcomes the work that the Community Service Group Executive has been doing over the past year in building and strengthening Black community links. The development of racism within the workplace survey will help explore effective ways of dealing with race discrimination in the workplace going forward. We thank conference for […]