Positively Public

LGBT people have many skills and talents to offer the workplace, something that is not always recognised, even in workplaces that claim to be ‘equalities friendly’. Positively Public is UNISON’s campaign for quality in our public services, and for recognition of the essential role of public service workers in achieving this. Conference welcomes the reinvigoration […]

Policing of Public Sex Environments

Conference is aware following the recent legislative changes in relation to Sexual Orientation Regulations that most major employers are reviewing their policies in this area. Conference welcomes the news that the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is also reviewing and updating its policies and procedures in relation to the policing of public sex environments, […]

Service Group Representation on National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Self Organised Group (SOG) Committees

This Conference is concerned that there is no provision for service groups to be fully represented on national self organised group (SOGs) and vice versa. There is provision regionally for all SOGs to be represented on regional service group committees. This appears to be out of line if this does not extend to national bodies. […]

Putting Our House in Order

Conference believes that while UNISON has made significant progress towards inclusion of its diverse membership in its structures, organising, negotiations and campaigning, full LGBT inclusion has yet to be achieved and work continues to completely eliminate homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and to promote LGBT equality in everything the union does. Our self organised groups have […]

Gender Identity – A Workplace Issue

Conference welcomes the progress made – with the active involvement of trans members – in raising the profile of trans issues in UNISON. This has included the establishment of an inclusive LGBT group, the setting up of a growing trans caucus with representation on the National Committee and the production of specific organising and bargaining […]

Promoting Bisexual Equality

Conference welcomes the progress made – with the active involvement of bisexual members – in raising the profile of bisexual issues in UNISON. This has included the establishment of an inclusive LGBT group and the setting up of a bisexual members’ caucus with representation on the National Committee Conference welcomes the progress to date but […]

No Waiting Lists and Gender Reassignment Surgery Funding

Conference is deeply concerned that medical treatment in some areas of the United Kingdom (UK) is at times very difficult to obtain or there is no provision or support on the basis there is no waiting list. This includes areas such as Gender Reassignment Surgery (GRS) and haematology, an area of medicine closely related to […]

Blood Service, Tissue and Organ Donations

Conference notes that Resolution 92 passed at the UNISON National Delegate Conference (NDC) 2006, called for a review of research in the ban by the Blood Services across the United Kingdom (UK), of gay and bisexual men from donating blood. Conference further notes that the resolution also asked that UNISON have an effective input into […]

Freedom of Assembly and Expression

Conference notes: 1.There is a growing climate in various countries, including members of the European Union and/or Council of Europe, for organised opposition to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) pride marches and events; 2.That in some countries, such opposition is being supported by national, regional and/or local government figures and the involvement of far-right […]

Safeguarding Monitoring Data

Conference notes and welcomes the work carried out by UNISON and the TUC on the issue of workplace monitoring, in particular stressing the need for data to be dealt with in a confidential manner. Whilst recommending to branch and regional LGBT groups the need to continue to raise the profile of this guidance at the […]

Self Organised Group National Committees

Conference notes that: 1.UNISON rule D4.6.3 provides that the National Executive Council shall have the right to send women members of the National Executive Council to the national women’s committee and conference; 2.Elsewhere, rule D4 makes no equivalent provision with respect to the other self-organised group national committees or conferences; but, 3.The current National Executive […]

Hate Crime in Scotland

In 2006 the Scottish Executive removed homophobia (and disability) from hate crime legislation at the last minute, despite the recommendation of the Hate Crime Working Group that they be included. The Equality Network responded by saying “We’re extremely disappointed that two years after the Hate Crime Working Group recommended this change the Executive rejected it. […]

Local Authorities

In the 1980s, a handful of mostly urban Local Authorities recognised the ways in which Lesbians and Gay men were discriminated against, and they took initiatives to address this. There were moves towards community involvement, same-sex tenancies, changes in adoption and fostering policies, education schemes, symbolic moves such as flying the rainbow flag, and public […]

HIV/AIDS SERVICES

The recent “merger” of PHACE Scotland with the Terrance Higgins Trust (THT) has been met with alarm by the majority of HIV services within Scotland, only to be compounded by THT being awarded the Reachout Highland contract for service delivery in Northern Scotland. Such alarm was not engendered by an isolationist view of the respective […]

Goods and Services – No Exceptions and No Exemptions

This conference is disappointed that the proposed Sexual Orientation (Goods & Services) Regulations will not be implemented from October 2006 as expected. Further, this conference is extremely concerned at reports in various parts of the media (e.g. Observer 15/10/06 and Guardian 16/10/06) that the delay is connected to issues of religious exemptions from the regulations; […]