This Government and likely future Governments agendas for shrinking the State and privatising Police and Probation services is resulting in our members being employed by private companies. The effect of this is the fragmentation of UNISON branches in the Police & Justice sector which will make it increasingly difficult to organise, support, recruit and retain […]
Conference motions
Conference expresses concern at the actions of the Secretary of State for Justice, in the preparation of the probation service for sale under the mantra of Public is Bad, Private is Good. This has: 1)Seen around 50% of a public service being transferred to a CRC (Community Rehabilitation Company) and ultimately the private sector which […]
The ‘Peelian principles’ describe the philosophy that Sir Robert Peel developed to define an ethical police force. This philosophy is commonly known as policing by consent. In the British model of policing, police officers are citizens in uniform. They exercise their powers to police their fellow citizens with the implicit consent of their fellow citizens. […]
Conference is extremely concerned that Lincolnshire Police have introduced the first Volunteer Police Community Support Officers (VPCSOs) in the country. This is despite Lincolnshire Police losing 4.7% of their paid Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) during the period 2010 to 2013. Conference notes that Volunteers are not accountable to the public in the way paid […]
With a static or decreasing number of members in our branches we need to review how we organise within the Water, Environment and Transport Service Group (WET). As moves are made to change our branches we need to find a structure that suits us before one is imposed. There seems to be a coordinated effort […]
Conference notes: a) Many funded pension schemes include provision for member nominated trustees. b) The financial crisis has highlighted the need for appropriate oversight and responsible management of workers capital. c) Proposed changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme are likely to extend the rights of workers to be represented on pensions committees; d) In […]
Conference notes that: a) The existing branch structure within the Environment Agency was established at the time that the Environment Agency was created and was based largely on water company boundaries. b) The structure of the Environment Agency has changed significantly since this time and concern has been expressed that certain bargaining groups are no […]
This Water, Environment and Transport Conference 2014 welcomes legislation banning smoking in workplaces etc. One area that wasn’t addressed however and continues to give our members health and safety concerns is visiting customer’s residential properties whereby the occupiers’ smoke. We call upon the Water, Environment and Transport Executive to produce appropriate guidance which will include […]
Conference 2014 notes that some but not all employers in the water industry currently provide free flu jabs for their employees/our members. UNISON believes that this “best practice” should be adopted by all employers within our service group and calls upon the WET Executive in conjunction with Sector Committees to devise a negotiating guide on […]
Conference notes the disproportionate attack the governments austerity measures are having on women. Within the public sector workforce; 735,000 women make up 64% of the workforce; public sector job losses and the cuts will impact on them disproportionally, when compared to the effects on men. With unemployment amongst women at a 24 year high, and […]
Conference due to overwhelming cuts in policing, police staff are facing increased pressure due to the reductions in the workforce. Police staff are being disproportionately affected and bearing the full brunt of this governments cuts agenda. With many posts being made redundant this has put an increased pressure on the staff remaining to do more […]
The North West Region are concerned that the current Police and Justice guidance on the use of volunteers is outdated. The Regional Service Group Committee believes that the Service Group Executive needs to review and produce firm guidance to all sectors with reference to the use of volunteers within our workplaces, especially in light of […]
Conference welcomes the progress made for our members nationally who identify themselves as part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) network and also recognises the great achievement that many forces are shown as top 100 employers on the Stonewall index. Conference also welcomes the acceptance that there are several strands to those who […]
Conference it would appear that forces/ employers have made attempts to negotiate withdrawal from our National terms and conditions with the intention of making local arrangements. For many years we have been part of a national agreement and been able to ensure the minimum levels of terms and conditions set through national negotiation. We know […]
Conference is concerned that there is no clear advice for members or the employer on whistle blowing within the Police Service for Police Staff. The Public Information Disclosure Act provides specific protections for those individuals raising matters of concern and an outline process for reporting areas of concern. Conference therefore calls upon the Service Group […]