Conference notes that UNISON has declared 2022 the year of disabled workers, which is a great opportunity for WET branches to organise, bargain and campaign on the issues that matter to our disabled members and to increase recruitment and retention as a result. WET branches can use 2022 to highlight the experience of our disabled […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that UNISON has declared 2022 the year of disabled workers, which is a great opportunity for Energy branches to organise, bargain and campaign on the issues that matter to our disabled members and to increase recruitment and retention as a result. Energy branches can use 2022 to highlight the experience of our disabled […]
A number of posts within the Environment Agency have been transferred to the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) over the past few years. Also, some new Environment Agency vacancies are advertised as Defra posts. UNISON has strong representation on behalf of our members in the Environment Agency. 1)We are entitled to elect representatives […]
Conference is deeply concerned at the violence, including threats and physical violence, that is shown towards those working in local government. The latest Health & Safety Executive statistics show that around 307,000 adults of working age in employment experienced violence at work, with an estimated 688,000 individual incidents of violence. According to the Labour Force […]
As we emerge from the pandemic, usage of buses is 70-80% of the 2019 level. The figures for rail travel and tram journeys are slightly below that level. Transport companies are facing greater staff shortages than at any time during the pandemic. This is a result of staff leaving for alternative jobs, such as Heavy […]
Conference, during the COVID-19 pandemic water industry workers started to hear the terminology that they were key workers. Conference notes the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, whether on staff working under stressful conditions, people isolated from friends and family by lockdown measures, the physical impact of the virus itself, or the […]
Recent pay campaigns across the UK have demonstrated that we need to do much more in order to build the confidence of our members in challenging bad practice by their employers. We know that pay matters to members, who have suffered years of austerity, pay cuts/freezes and threats to jobs/services, but they often do not […]
The school system has continued to fragment away from local authorities with the expansion of academies and large Multi Academy Trusts (MATs). Conference notes that Local Authorities have been consistently undermined by the government to drive maintained schools to convert. Strategies have ranged from temporary MAT membership for schools that are ‘nervous’ about joining Trusts, […]
In March 2020 thousands of workers across the UK adapted to a new way of working by taking into their own homes the employers’ equipment in order for services to continue. Our frontline workers such as social care and care at home staff have continued to provide vital and lifesaving care to their clients, whilst […]
Conference notes that UNISON has declared 2022 the Year of Disabled Workers. This is a great opportunity for local government branches to organise, bargain and campaign on the issues that matter to our disabled members and to increase recruitment and retention as a result. Local government branches can use 2022 to highlight the experience of […]
Conference notes that the Covid-19 pandemic saw a revolution in home working in local government workplaces. Although it is important to remember that home working should be a choice and not compulsory, it has brought benefits for many local government workers in terms of work-life balance. Parents and carers have been better able to combine […]
The grief, anxiety and depression children have experienced during the pandemic is welling over into classrooms and hallways, resulting in crying and disruptive behaviour in many younger kids and increased violence and bullying among adolescents. For many other children, who keep their sadness and fear inside, the pressures of school have become too great. Good […]
Conference notes that energy employers have reported many difficulties in recruiting into a wide range of roles within the energy sector. It is also known that in some parts of the sector the workforce is ageing, and more workers are retiring than being replaced. This is adding to workforce fatigue and an over reliance on […]
All too often these days we see our council-run local government services are being outsourced, privatised or moved to wholly owned/arm’s length companies. The setting up of these new companies, including social enterprises is frequently sold to branches and staff as nothing to be concerned about. In some circumstances the process can take place with […]
Conference congratulates the Neath Port Talbot Local Government Branch on the resounding success of their campaign to bring leisure services back in-house. Following a concerted campaign by the branch, on 1 February 2022 Neath Port Talbot Council made the unprecedented decision not to renew their contract with Celtic Leisure Trust, or seek another provider, but […]