Unison Retired Members just want to have Funds!

Yes, we acknowledge that some pensioners are millionaires and, yes, we acknowledge that some Government Ministers are millionaires or multi-millionaires. Whereas some pensioners, including our Unison retired members, are living in abject poverty, we have yet to find one Minister living in abject poverty. When your life is full of luxury, it may be difficult […]

POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER ELECTIONS

Conference notes that Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections are scheduled to take place on the 2nd May 2024. Of those PCCs elected in 2021, 30 were Conservative, 8 were Labour and 1 was Plaid Cymru. Conference further notes that three police services (Greater Manchester, the Metropolitan Police and West Yorkshire Police) are instead governed […]

OPERATION UPLIFT AND POLICE STAFF INVESTIGATORS

Conference notes the impact that the Conservative government’s pledge to recruit 20000 police officers, known in policing as Operation Uplift, has had on the job security and career progression of police staff. Conference believes that the financial arrangements surrounding the pledge are forcing Chief Officers to place police officers into roles that would otherwise be […]

COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE POLICE FROM SERVING POLICE STAFF MEMBERS

Conference believes that serving Police Staff should have same right as any member of the public to make a complaint against police if they are poorly treated or mistakes are made by Police colleagues from their home force when a staff member becomes a victim of crime or an alleged offender when off duty. Conference […]

Securing the legacy of the year of disabled workers in Community workplaces

Conference notes the success of UNISON’s Year of Disabled Workers 2022. Although the year is not yet complete, we have seen renewed focus on the experience of disabled members in our union, in the workplace and in society, including those in the Community service group. We have used the year to highlight the important contribution […]

Staying Alive: Pay and the survival of LGBT+ services

Conference notes that “‘Staying Alive’: The Impact of ‘Austerity Cuts’ on the LGBT Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) in England and Wales” a Trade Union Congress (TUC) – funded research report by Fiona Colgan et al at London Metropolitan University in 2014 was the last significant analysis of the state of the sector in relation […]

Abolish Workers being charged for their DBS check

This conference believes that we need to stop the regressive practice of some organisations in the Community and Voluntary sector charging their new employees to get their Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) done. In the midst of a cost of living crisis which is impacting the working of people the hardest, this conference motion contends […]

Staffing Crisis in Social Care

Conference notes with grave concern the on-going staffing crisis across the social care sector. With social care organisations haemorrhaging staff and 165,000 vacancies remaining unfilled (skills for care Oct 2022), the companies providing these essential services are on their knees, and those on the front line are feeling it the most. Looking at the current […]

Income: £99.30 a week – the reality of sick pay in social care

Conference, it cannot be right, that employees within social care with increasing rent/mortgage payments, fuel, food and utilities, can be left when they fall ill on £100 a week. This is totally unacceptable. Everyone in this room will know someone working in the social care sector, that has fallen ill and has reached crisis point […]

Women in community jobs and the cost of living crisis

Conference notes that more than 82,000 UNISON members work in the community and voluntary sector. Many of them are women and a significant number work in social care, where women outnumber men four to one. Generally, women tend to have lower paid jobs and fewer hours than men. Also, there are three times as many […]

Sick pay in social care

Conference last year resolved to campaign on sick pay, noting that many workers in our sectors receive only statutory sick pay. That means they receive hopelessly inadequate pay when sick, and nothing at all for the first three days of any sickness absence. Workers are forced to choose between going into work sick and feeding […]

Supporting regional development in Community

Conference notes that it is a UNISON Rule Book commitment to establish Regional Community Service Group Committees under Rule D3.6. The criteria for representation being: Branches with 100+ Community members are entitled to nominate 2 delegates to the committee (at least one of whom must be female). Branches with 50-100 Community members are entitled to […]

Fire and re-hire: dismissal and re-engagement in Community

Conference notes the introduction into Parliament of Employment and Trade Union Rights (Dismissal and Re-engagement) Bill by Barry Gardiner MP and backed by the Institute of Employment Rights which sought to amend the law relating to workplace information and consultation, employment protection and trade union rights in order to provide safeguards for workers against dismissal […]

Charity Sector Pay

Conference notes the publication of the Law Family Commission on Civil Society study, carried out by Pro Bono Economics in August 2022 entitled “The price of purpose? Pay gaps in the charity sector” which identifies that charity staff in the UK are paid 7% less per hour on average than workers in other sectors and […]

Social Care still on its knees!

Conference notes the October 2022 data produced by Skills for Care on social care workers shows at least 165,000 vacancies across adult social care providers at the end of 2021-22. This report identifies that staff vacancies in social care in England increased by a record 52% during that year, with 1 in 10 posts vacant […]