Organising and Representing Chief Officers and Senior Managers in Local Authorities

Conference notes that massive cuts have been made across local government, with billions of pounds of central government funding removed since 2010. By 2019/20 local councils will lose £75 out of every £100 that the government spent in 2015/16, and thousands more services will have been lost. UNISON members who are chief officers and senior […]

New Local Government Pensions Scheme Investment Regulations and Asset Pooling

This conference welcomes the national UNISON briefing of January 2016 – New Local Government Pensions Scheme Investment Regulations and Asset Pooling. In particular conference believes that local government’s pension funds must be able to decide where to invest their money in the best interests of present and future pensioners, and should not have their investment […]

TTIP and Local Government

Conference notes with great concern the implications of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) for local government and its workforce across the UK. These include: 1)The removal of so-called ‘non tariff’ barriers to trade such as environmental concerns and health and safety regulations; 2)The Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism which could leave councils […]

Single Status and Equality Legislation

Despite UK and EU equality legislation, there are still many women in local government paid much less than they should be compared to men. Conference believes government policy both in equality and industrial relations terms is rendering equal pay legislation less effective and undermining the role of collective bargaining in delivering equality. Conference notes with […]

Securing Adequate Funding for Flood Defences

WET Conference 2016 will remember the devastation caused by floods in late 2015 in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire in particular which had a devastating effect on the general public including many UNISON members both as employees and victims of the floods. Inadequate resources by this Tory Government have played a major part in flood defences […]

Food Standards Agency – Pay, Terms and Conditions

Conference notes that our members employed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and its contractors are constantly under the threat of being deregulated out of employment. They continue to face bullying, harassment and attacks in the workplace, as well as erosion to their pay and benefits. Conference also notes that the […]

Protect NHSBT as a public service

Conference welcomes the Partnership agreement between UNISON and NHSBT signed at the end of 2015 where UNISON agreed to promote and publicise amongst its members the organ donation register and the blood donation service. UNISON agreed to support NHSBT as the values it is built on are the founding values of the NHS. Ordinary people […]

Paying the Living Wage

NHSBT branches have campaigned for many years to try to get agreement with their employer that any contractors they use employ staff on at least the Living wage. Conference welcomes growing numbers of NHS trusts and employers committing to become living wage employers both by paying their own staff at least the living wage but […]

Safe Movement of Blood across the NHS

Whilst Conference generally welcomes the role that charities play in our society it expresses concern that increasingly NHS trust are turning to the free Motorbike charities for the movement of blood across the NHS instead of using the professional drivers employed 24/7 by NHSBT itself. Whilst UNISON members who are drivers employed by NHSBT are […]

Protect NHSBT as a public service

Conference welcomes the Partnership agreement between UNISON and NHSBT signed at the end of 2015 where UNISON agreed to promote and publicise amongst its members the organ donation register and the blood donation service. UNISON agreed to support NHSBT as the values it is built on are the founding values of the NHS. Ordinary people […]

OPPOSING PROPOSALS IN THE MAY 2016 QUEEN’S SPEECH

Conference notes that on 18th May 2016 the Government’s proposals to force maintained schools to become academies in England were announced alongside limits on local authorities’ role in school improvement and a revised national funding formula for schools. The stated aim in these proposals is for all schools to become academies with the Secretary of […]

PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PrEP) FOR THE FUTURE – U

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) may no longer be a death sentence for those who become infected, but did you know there is more individuals can actively do to prevent infection? HIV has long been synonymous with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, yet an important tool with the capacity to halt the spread […]

WE STAND TOGETHER TO SAY NO PLACE FOR HATE CRIME

Conference believes that all forms of hate crime are abhorrent. Conference notes the rise of reported hate crime incidents in the United Kingdom (UK). In 2014/15, there were 5,597 ‘sexual orientation’ hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, a rise of 22% on the previous year, and 605 ‘transgender identity’ hate crimes, […]

TRANSGENDER – NEXT STEPS IN TRANS INCLUSION

Conference welcomes the increase in the numbers of trans people participating in UNISON lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activities and events, both at a regional and national level, with more trans members than ever before attending both conference and the trans network meeting. Conference we celebrate the achievements made around transgender issues over the […]

Devolution and Combined Authorities

Conference notes the development of the devolution agenda and further notes that: 1)Local government is a devolved matter in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; 2)The Scotland Bill devolves more powers to the Scottish Parliament from April 2017, the Wales Act 2014 devolves some tax and borrowing powers to the Wales Government National Assembly for Wales […]