Conference notes that the Westminster Coalition government’s ‘austerity’ measures are causing devastation across local authorities and other UK public services. UNISON members working in them are facing redundancies, cuts to pay and conditions, increased workloads and increasing privatisation. Integration of social care and health is a further issue affecting all four UK nations. Conference recognises […]
Conference motions
This conference notes and applauds the major campaign being waged by the BFAWU (Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union) within the national fast food takeaway companies, in partnership with the Fast Food Rights Campaign and Youth Fight For Jobs. The main thrust of this campaign is to recruit and organise young people into trade unions […]
Conference notes that increases in workload are causing severe problems for many school support staff across the UK. UNISON’s survey of over 15,000 school support staff members showed that:- 1)80.4% (10,804 respondents) said they were concerned about workload. The majority of respondents; 2)74.0%, said they regularly worked unpaid overtime; 3)81.0% of those working unpaid overtime […]
Conference notes that research from the home office has shown that nearly 90% of severe and repeated domestic violence is experienced by women. The Home Office report on domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking (findings from the British Crime Survey) reported that “women are the overwhelming majority of the most heavily abused group. Among people […]
Conference notes that our members employed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and its contractors, work in some of the worst conditions in Europe. They face increasing bullying, harassment and attacks in the workplace, as well as the erosion of their pay and benefits. Conference also notes that the deregulators and industry lobbyists working in […]
Add new rule D 3.5.10: “D 3.5.10 No member who holds a seat on a Service Group Executive can hold a seat on the National Executive Council as a service group representative under Rule D.2.3 at the same time. She/he may stand as a candidate in an election or by-election for a seat on the […]
Add new Rule D 2.9: “D 2.9 Meetings of the National Executive Council shall take place, so far as is reasonably practicable, in venues which are accessible to all members eligible to attend.” Renumber as appropriate
Conference notes the massive cuts that youth and community services suffered under the 2010-2015 Government. Conference welcomes the Local Government Service Group’s 2014 ‘Damage’ report, highlighting the scale and impact of those cuts. The publicity that the report attracted shows clearly the breadth of support in the UK for high quality, properly funded youth services. […]
Conference notes with concern the attack libraries and leisure facilities have faced under the coalition government. As budget cuts have hit hard, councils have explored a number of options which have included: dramatically scaling back on library and leisure services, alternative models to deliver services, or closing facilities. Libraries do more than simply loan books; […]
D 3.5.8 add at end: “She/he may stand as a candidate in an election or by-election for a seat on a Service Group Executive, subject to Rule D.2.3.4. If elected, she/he will be deemed to have resigned from the National Executive Council from the commencement of the period of office for the Service Group Executive […]
This conference notes that UNISON believes that local authorities will be pushed to breaking point by the latest round of multibillion pound cuts to their funding announced in the last round of the Coalition Government’s spending review. This is despite the communities and local government minister, Kris Hopkins, view that the Government announced what he […]
Conference notes with concern that local government workers pay is falling behind other public and private workers. Many employers are trying to move away from NJC pay and terms and conditions with the result that the NJC could be left to ‘wither on the vine’. The trade unions must take decisive action to prevent its […]
At the Discrimination Law Conference in January 2014 Professor Sir Bob Hepple QC said that “if a new government enacts only one new piece of equality legislation it should be to require equality representatives at workplaces” – such representatives would require a legal right to time off to “be involved in drawing up and enforcing […]
Conference supports integrating health and social care services providing the principal aim of doing so is to improve the quality of services particularly for older people. Conference believes that services can only be successfully integrated if social care is made, like health, free at the point of need. Conference therefore welcomes: 1)The Labour Party’s policy […]
Service Group Conference notes with deep concern the former government’s announcement of plans to turn fire authorities into mutuals. Under the plans, the government would change the law to allow fire authorities to set themselves up as independent social enterprise companies outside the public sector. They would then be contracted to provide geographical fire cover […]