Currently in the UK, almost one in three women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, while two women a week are murdered by a partner or ex-partner, usually after a sustained period of suffering abuse. The vast majority of the victims and survivors of domestic abuse are women and children, and women are also […]
Conference motions
Conference acknowledges that there are four nations within the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), with each legislature having autonomy over Higher Education. This has meant that our Higher Education (HE) committees in those nations are more often than not negotiating directly with relevant devolved governments on a range of issues such as […]
For many, many years New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (New JNCHES) has failed to deliver pay outcomes that improve or protect our members’ living standards. The employers’ approach to this negotiating forum has not reflected a commitment to genuine negotiation or collective bargaining, and despite the best efforts of our negotiators, New […]
Conference recognises the immense contribution our members working on campus have made throughout the coronavirus crisis. These members are often the lowest paid and had little choice but to return to campus even if they felt anxiety about doing so. While branches worked hard to ensure workplaces were as safe as possible and Risk Assessments […]
In 2019, the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched an enquiry into racial harassment into public funded universities in Britain to examine staff and student’s experiences of racial harassment and the effects they might have on their education careers and wellbeing. The report highlighted that racial harassment is a common occurrence for many students and […]
Conference Notes: The primary role of UNISON, or any Trade Union, is to use the collective power of its members to deliver lasting and significant improvements to pay, pension rights and working conditions. The results of each annual round of pay negotiations, is a good indicator of the extent to which this Service Group is […]
Conference Notes: Many UNISON members in the higher education sector continue to suffer the effects of poverty wages. Whilst some progress has been made campaigning for universities to become Living Wage Employers, or at least agreeing to pay the equivalent, some are refusing to consider this very basic and reasonable demand. Many senior managers point […]
Raising the profile of Black activists and increasing the number of Black members involved in Higher Education establishments at branch, regional and national levels within the union is critical in meeting UNISON’s recruitment and organising objectives. Conference notes that UNISON has developed a Leadership School where activists can take steps to develop their leadership skills […]
Conference will recall carrying the motion ‘Trans inclusion in higher education workplaces’ in 2017 welcoming trans members active participation in UNISON and accepting trans equality must be addressed in all workplaces. This motion also endorsed the recommendations of the Parliamentary Women and Equalities Committee Inquiry into Transgender Equality, which called for higher education institutions (HEIs) […]
Conference notes that although Higher Education institutions often pride themselves on the services they offer to disabled students, when it comes to their disabled staff it can sometimes be a different story. Many of our disabled members in Higher Education find that they struggle to access reasonable adjustments. In some cases the employer agrees to […]
The UK’s higher education support staff workforce comprises 63% women and over 40% of university support staff are aged 46 and over. The menopause is experienced by women primarily between the ages of 45 to 55, although some may experience it earlier, and it can continue for many years. Symptoms associated with the menopause include […]
UNISON HE conference notes: 1)The Earth’s temperature has already risen by 1.1 degree above pre-industrial levels and that the amount of sheet ice lost annually from the Antarctic has increased six-fold between 1979-2017. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report last autumn warned that we only have 12 years to keep global warming to […]
Conference notes the ongoing attack on our defined benefit (DB) pension schemes and believes that as pensions are deferred pay then any cut to our pension schemes is a direct attack on terms and conditions. Conference notes those branches that have campaigned or are still campaigning to stop any erosion to their pensions which after […]
Conference has in recent years passed a number of motions relating to helping to tackle the issues around mental health conditions such as encouraging employers to sign up to “Time to change “ or become “Mindful employers”. This has helped to shape the service group’s policy on supporting individuals with existing mental health conditions as […]
Conference, clearly it is in none of our interests that we conduct a ballot we potentially lose by a long margin if we do not have the pulse of the membership before we move to an industrial action ballot. That will only serve the interests of those who want us to lose the ballot weakening […]