Minister’s Statement to Increase Family Size

Conference notes the recent ministerial statement encouraging women to produce more children at a time when the cycle of deprivation has yet to be fully addressed. Conference believes that it is irresponsible for the minister to send out this message when there is currently insufficient affordable housing or childcare provision. Conference calls upon the National […]

Women’s Health

Conference applauds National Women’s Committee for involving the Women’s Environmental Network at last year’s National Women’s Conference through workshops and stalls. Grampian Health Branch delegates were greatly impressed and gravely concerned by much of the information obtained at last year’s workshop and have used it in our own branch. Conference considers that a national campaign […]

Compensation of Child Victims of Sexual Abuse

Conference notes that child victims of sexual abuse are entitled to compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Such compensation is particularly relevant to women who are the main victims of child sexual abuse. However this compensation is subject to certain conditions, primarily: 1) that offences must be reported to the police; and 2)that […]

Imprisonment of Teenage Girls

Conference will recall motion 33 from National Women’s Conference 1998 which highlighted the problem of teenage girls being inappropriately placed in adult women’s prisons, in contravention of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that juvenile offenders should be separated from adults within the prison system, but that the British government […]

Proportionality

In 2003, National Women’s Conference resolved not to allow UNISON to forget its policy on proportionality. We called for National Women’s Committee to: 1)collate and publish statistics annually which monitor progress towards achieving proportionality throughout UNISON, and to present these annually to Women’s Conference; and 2)ask the National Executive Council to present these findings annually […]

Ill Treatment of Women Asylum Seekers

Conference is concerned at the apparent increase in the ill treatment of women asylum seekers as reported by solicitors/barristers working in this field. With a hostile public attitude that has been developed and is fed by the rightwing press, there seems to be less interest in the fate of asylum seekers and there may be […]

Self Harm Amongst Women Prisoners

Conference notes that women comprise less than 10 per cent (4,500) of the prison population and yet they account for nearly 50 per cent of the incidents of self harm amongst prisoners. In a recent report it was revealed that many have drug and/or mental health problems – at HMP Brockhill in the West Midlands […]

Labour Behind the Label

Thousands of women around the world work in an industry where exploitation is the order of the day. Workers cannot complain or they could lose their jobs. If they try to form a union or join a union to fight for better pay and conditions, they get ill-treated and intimidated. That is the garment trade. […]

Drink Spiking

During the last few decades, there has been a rise in the number of drug rapes and drug-related attacks, mainly taking place in pubs and clubs where the opportunity to spike drinks is readily available. Women are particularly vulnerable, so it is therefore necessary to be aware and informed of the problem and to raise […]

Breast Cancer and Examination

One in every nine women in the United Kingdom continues to develop breast cancer at some point in her lifetime. That is why being aware of self-examination and diagnostic procedures in hospitals are vital for all women. If you have been referred to hospital with a breast lump or a change in the appearance of […]

Rape as a Weapon of Conflict

Conference is appalled by the use of rape as a weapon in many conflicts around the world. Rape is used against women by men in these situations to subdue and demoralise them. Rape has nothing to do with sexual desire but is the exertion of power over a group to cause alarm and despondency not […]

Domestic Abuse and Contact

For the past 18 months a group of men have been campaigning for contact with their children after the breakdown of their relationships with the child’s/children’s mother. This had received a lot of press coverage and whilst we accept that some of the claims they make about women refusing them contact with their children we […]

Fertility Treatment and Work

Conference is concerned that some women are being discriminated against because they are undergoing fertility treatment. One month before the embryo is inserted the woman has to take strong medication. This medication often affects the woman’s hormone balance and the results can make the women feel extremely ill. After the embryo has been inserted total […]

Women’s Involvement in UNISON

Conference has always agreed that we want more women to become active and involved in all aspects of UNISON. But still barriers are placed in their way and this leads to frustration and allows the accusation of hypocrisy to be levelled at some sections of UNISON. We encourage women to attend UNISON conferences both National/Service […]