This 2013 WET Conference is aware of a serious safety incident in Severn Trent Water which resulted in a sewerage operator losing the tips of his fingers on one hand. The individual concerned was gaining access to a confined space but suffered the injury as the stay on the manhole cover collapsed. Such assets particularly […]
Conference motions
Issues are being experienced in some Branches including Scottish Water whereby the Working Time Regulations appear to be being misinterpreted in particular when working time begins. Instances that have come to the fore include employees being required to do basic vehicle checks in their own time before commencing work. In addition, employees are being told […]
Whilst this Conference welcomes improvements to sites including making welfare facilities of an acceptable standard basic site Health and Safety issues shouldn’t be forgotten about during the duration of such work. It came to light on some but not all sites that were being improved in United Utilities that lighting and signage on emergency routes […]
Conference welcomes the launch of UNISON’s Ethical Care Campaign and the production of the ‘Time to Care’ report, which has provided a platform for often-ignored homecare workers to articulate their frustrations and anger with the UK homecare system. It has shown how a committed but poorly paid and treated workforce is doing its best to […]
This Conference recognises that the Con-Dem Coalition Government is intent on undermining the system of collective social security and on reducing the household incomes of those on less than average incomes. This will include many UNISON members working in local government. Conference notes that, as a share of national income, wages have fallen over the […]
Conference notes the Government’s deplorable attacks on trade union facility time in the public sector, fuelled by lobbying by the Tax Payers’ Alliance and other right-wing organisations. Attacks on the facility time of civil servants have become envied by Eric Pickles as he seeks to mimic and replicate them across local government. These attacks are […]
Conference is alarmed and appalled by the article published by the Sunday Times on 2 June (and subsequently in other media outlets) reporting that the Treasury has been holding talks with the Department for Education about phasing out the role of teaching assistants as part of budget cuts in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review. This […]
Conference condemns the shameful state of pay and conditions for local government workers across the UK. Conference notes that: 1) NJC and SJC pay has the lowest bottom rate of pay and the worst conditions of all public sector groups – for both full-time and part-time workers 2) NJC and SJC pay has fallen by […]
Conference notes the shocking findings in UNISON’s late 2012 survey of cuts to NJC terms and conditions: 1) 20% councils have frozen increments 2) 8% of councils have cut basic pay 3) 13% of councils have introduced unpaid leave 4) Over 60% of councils have cut weekend enhancements 5) 31% of councils have cut redundancy […]