Public Services

Conference notes extra public spending announced in 2004 Spending Review, particularly the £40 billion extra investment in the National Health Service (NHS) and believes that this could make a major difference to public services. However it cannot while the government continues a variety of trends and initiatives, marketisation, choice, privatisation, efficiency reviews, PFI and cuts […]

Efficiency Reviews

Conference notes that there are efficiency reviews across the governments of the United Kingdom (UK), driven by the 2004 spending review. In Whitehall departments, this simultaneously expanded public spending but demanded £20 billion of efficiencies in services controlled by Whitehall departments as a result of a report by Sir Peter Gershon. Conference is alarmed that […]

Facility Time

Conference welcomes the UNISON National project and campaign ‘A Time to Act’. This Conference is aware of certain inequities in the Police Service in the provision of time off for trade union duties and activities. Conference is aware of existing policy as enacted as a result of Motion 22 of the 2004 Conference namely ‘Union […]

Protect Our Pensions

This Conference notes that the Police Staff Service Group represents around 32,000 members. The vast majority of whom are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme. Conference is alarmed at Government Proposals to significantly weaken our pension provision. Furthermore, we are deeply concerned that as public sector workers we could be denied the right to […]

Mandatory Testing for Substance Abuse

This Conference notes that mandatory testing for substance abuse has been introduced for all staff in the North Wales Police, with the intention of rolling it out to all other Police services in the future. This is an especially sensitive subject, requiring serious consultation arrangements. This Conference expresses its grave concern that such a procedure […]

Protecting Our Members From False Allegations

UNISON has fought for years for equality in all areas. We have had some successes, including some excellent employment laws. However, as many lesbian, gay and bisexual people are aware, these laws can sometimes be used against us and when they are, there is very little in the way of information and support. There are […]

Apprenticeships and the National Minimum Wage

Conference notes that nearly 250,000 young people are engaged in an apprenticeship, formerly modern apprenticeships, with a significant proportion of these on public sector apprenticeship schemes. Apprenticeships give opportunities to young people and can bring new people into the public services, can provide progression routes to higher level skills and qualifications, and can also have […]

Public Sector Pension Schemes

Conference expresses its outrage at the continued attack by the government on the provisions of the various public sector pension scheme provisions. Conference notes, with disgust, that these continued attacks on public sector provision of pension arrangements have occurred subsequent to the government introducing, and receiving, support from parliament for enhanced pension arrangements for members […]

The Future of Council Housing

Conference welcomes the fact that at the Labour party conference on 26 September, Deputy Prime Minister said: “Public financing of housing does not treat local authorities on a level playing field and I want to see that changed and I promise to do that and look at an enquiry into it”. After the vote, Housing […]

Women and Pensions

Conference recognises that changes to the state pension system in recent years in terms of contributions, retirement age and earnings on which pensions are based place women at an unfair disadvantage. The existing state pension alone is insufficient to provide for basic needs and requires a large number of recipients to undergo the humiliation of […]

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in the Workplace

Conference welcomes the increased profile of lesbian and gay workplace issues in the work of many parts of our union, while acknowledging that there is still much to be done. Conference recognises that UNISON’s ability to organise, negotiate and campaign effectively on equality issues flows directly from its commitment to self-organisation. Conference notes that since […]

National Day for Remembrance of Slavery

Conference calls upon the National Executive Council to support the Trade Union Congress in their call for government to recognise 23 August as the National Day for the Remembrance of Slavery. This date marks a crucial event in the fight against slavery and the uprising in St Domingo in 1791. The United Nations marked 2004 […]

Domestic Abuse

Conference is concerned that domestic abuse accounts for at least 25 per cent of all violent crime, one in four women will experience domestic abuse at some time in their lives, and that every week two men kill their femal partners or female ex-partners. Conference welcomes the recent moves by government to raise awareness of […]

Funding of Police Forces

Conference is concerned over the inadequate funding by the Government of Police Forces in the UK. Forces are facing tight budgetary constraints with the introduction of new initiatives emanating from Police Reform, most only having time-limited resources to start the schemes and then leaving individual Forces to find funding for the future. With about 85% […]

Reimbursement of extra expense incurred as a result of attending court at short notice

Conference instructs the Service Group Executive to enter into negotiations at the Police Staff Council to reimburse the additional costs (i.e. childcare) incurred by Police Staff when attending court on behalf of the Police Authority at short notice.