This Conference notes the recent successful campaigns around LGBT issues, notably the campaign in favour of the LGBT rule change and our successes over Civil Partnerships and Pension rights and believes we can apply the lessons from these successful campaigns to campaign more successfully in the future. Conference believes that we still confront many challenges […]
Conference motions
Conference supports the Refugee Learning Project, being piloted by Unison Scotland which aims to give asylum seekers work experience in social service and health settings with mentor support to hopefully eventually allow them to obtain employment in these areas. This project is benefiting asylum seekers practically by integrating them into the community further, and tackling […]
Delegates to Conference have seen the statement on acceptable behaviour issued with the Conference papers. They are also aware of a variety of acceptable behaviour statements in use across UNISON as guidance for training courses, meetings and conferences. Such statements are not always comprehensive, or best worded. It should not always be up to those […]
Conference congratulates all activists on achieving the rule change at this year’s National Delegate Conference and welcomes the opportunity to meet at this, our first LGBT conference. Conference notes the interim LGBT committee structure as reported to last year’s Lesbian and Gay conference i.e. 24 regional representatives (1 female, 1 general from each region), 5 […]
Conference notes that since 1999 it has been unlawful to discriminate against workers on grounds of gender reassignment and since 2003 it has been unlawful to discriminate against workers on grounds of sexual orientation. We have also won further protections and rights in the workplace through the Gender Recognition Act and Civil Partnership Act. UNISON […]
Conference warmly welcomes the new disability equality duty that is due to come into force in December 2006, we believe this will provide UNISON with a great new organising tool as well as the opportunity to challenge disability discrimination at work and within public services. It is a strengthened version of the race duty – […]
Conference is outraged that teaching establishments across the United Kingdom are threatening the recognition of British Sign Language (BSL) and the future of deaf people. We call upon the National Disabled Members’ Committee to work with the National Executive Council to continue to campaign for BSL to be recognised in reality by: 1)challenging proposals to […]
Conference welcomes the progress made on the introduction of a single Commission for Equality and Human Rights(CEHR). However Conference is very concerned that there are still no plans to introduce legislation relating to the CEHR’s powers, constitution, terms of reference and details of the various strands and their link to each other. Conference is also […]
Conference is delighted that changes to legislation in April 2005 will impose a new disability equality duty on public bodies and some private companies. We believe these new duties could reconstruct a barrier-free society and provide equality of opportunity for the millions of disabled people who are in work, want to work, and those who […]
Conference congratulates the Welsh Assembly in agreeing to eliminate the charges that the people of Wales pay for prescription charges. Already reduced to £4 per prescription item, and in the lifetime of the current Welsh Assembly there is commitment to having free prescriptions in Wales by the end of 2006. Conference notes that there are […]
Conference notes: 1)there are many thousands of paperless workers out there, without whose work the economy would grind to a standstill; 2)paperless workers are the invisible engine room of twilight London. No Londoner can easily escape involvement in this exploitation. Paperless workers serve us meals in restaurants, clean our hospitals, our hotels, streets and tube […]
Conference recognises the right of every member to take part in the union’s campaigning activities, including attendance at marches and rallies. It is therefore important that, as with all other areas of the union’s work, steps are taken to ensure such events are fully accessible to disabled members. We therefore call upon the National Disabled […]
Amendment to Motion 30 (Carried and incorporated into M 30) Add after fifth paragraph “That a member who is accused of a serious sexual allegation of a service user or member of staff can lead to the arrest or even charge of the member. The result of a false allegation can lead to the arrest […]
Conference believes that the distinction between nursing and personal care should be ended. It is completely unacceptable to charge old and/or disabled people for essential and needed personal care. Good quality personal and nursing care should be provided on the basis of need, free and without means-testing. Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to […]
Conference notes the increases in charges to attend classes for Lifelong Learning being proposed by the government. This will affect people on low pay and fixed incomes, especially pensioners. Any reduction in class attendance will result in class closures to the detriment of the students who attend for both academic, cultural and social stimulus. There […]