Conference Timetable and Regional Meetings

This Conference notes that many Regional Disabled Members Committees hold pre-conference training sessions for delegates to the National Disabled Members’ Conference. However, not all delegates can attend these meetings and it is useful to be able to hold a regional meeting at the conference itself. It can be difficult to timetable such an event in […]

Don’t condem young disabled people

Conference believes that young people are amongst those most likely to suffer as a consequence of the damaging policies being pursued by the Con-Dem Government, and that young disabled people will be especially hard-hit. Conference also believes that: 1.The job losses in the public and private sector predicted by the Treasury will have a catastrophic […]

School Support Staff

This Conference condemns the Coalition Government’s decision to abolish the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). This is happening at the same time as the government is encouraging all schools in England to move away from local authorities and the number of academies, trust and foundation schools is increasing and the Government’s encouragement of setting […]

Defending the Local Government Pension Scheme

This Conference condemns the Coalition government’s ongoing attacks on the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and welcomes the Service Group Executive’s statement of its response to those attacks issued in November 2010. Conference condemns the: 1)3% increase in employee subscriptions by 2014/15 required in the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review; 2)Switch from RPI to CPI for […]

Car Allowances and Rising Fuel Costs

Although UNISON has a National Agreement relating to casual and essential users and relevant mileage rates that accompany those categories of user, the outcome of Single Status negotiations together with the austere economic climate has led to more and more employers proposing to move away from the National Agreement towards the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment […]

Attacks on Terms and Conditions

Conference deplores current attacks on hard-won NJC pay and conditions across local authorities and Boards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a pay freeze for a second year, without the £250 compensation promised by the Chancellor in his 2010 Budget. Dorset County Council proposed that its entire staff should take 1 day each month […]

Using Equality to Fight Local Government Cuts

Conference deplores the swingeing spending cuts taking place across local government. With a female workforce of over 75%, cuts to local government jobs and terms and conditions have a detrimental effect on women in particular and may adversely impact on other protected groups. The disproportionate impact of cuts on women is well documented: 1)The changes […]

Campaign Against local Government Cuts and for a Fair Deal

This Conference is appalled by the damage that has already been inflicted on local public services, to the communities that depend on them and to the loyal local government workforce that provides them by the social vandalism of the Conservative-led Government. Conference believes that there is no electoral mandate for the widespread destruction of council […]

Employers Discriminatory Tactics

Conference is concerned in the rise of employers using discriminatory tactics such as: ·Sickness procedures ·Capability and performance policies ·Presenteism ·Exclusion in recruitment and selection within restructure To rid themselves of disabled employees with minimum expenditure Conference calls upon UNISON National Disabled members Committee to: a)to work with branches and disabled members to actively pursue […]

On-line campaigning for disabled people

Conference welcomes the growth of on-line communities and social networking and the potential opportunities they offer for on-line activity for young and other disabled people. Conference notes the significant number of entries by disabled people to the “TUC’s 60 second advert” competition 2011. Conference also notes the growth of ‘armchair army’ online campaign groups e.g. […]

Tackling LGBT discrimination from energy customers, colleagues and members of the public

Conference welcomes the 2010 Equality Act – one of the last Labour government’s final pieces of legislation. This provides a wide ranging basis for negotiating in our energy workplaces. It places a duty on every employer, whether in the private or public sector, to protect their employees from discrimination from colleagues, customers or members of […]

Absence management – HIV and other disabilities

Conference notes employer duties to make reasonable adjustments in their management of disabled employees who are absent from work as a result of their disability. We call on energy employers to take their responsibilities seriously, and to pay specific attention to employees living with HIV. Many energy employers are scared or ignorant of HIV, and […]

Low Pay

CAMPAIGNING AGAINST LOW PAY. UNISON remains committed to gender equality within all our pay structures and we commend the highly successful on-going campaign financed and delivered by our organisation to achieve this end. At the same time low pay appears to have been largely ignored as a priority of our members. Since 1990 UNISON has […]

Copper Theft

Health and Safety: Copper theft from Distribution Networks. As the price of scrap metal soars even higher so the growing temptations to steal scrap metal – particularly copper – increases. More Distribution Network Organisations have to deal with the real threat posed by the theft of copper both from substations and off the live Network. […]

Nuclear Generation

Nuclear Energy. Let’s Consider The Options. Since the privatisation of the UK Energy Industry most energy companies have been subjected to some degree of foreign ownership where a considerable ‘’laissez faire’’ attitude to the consideration of nuclear energy exists. Edf – the French owned Energy Company in particular has expressed its commitment to furthering nuclear […]