Water, Environment and Transport Health and Safety Event 2012

The 2011 WET Conference recognises the value of the inaugural service group health and safety event held in March 2010 and the impressive subjects covered in one day by all who attended. Health and safety is rightly seen as one of the most important factors by members in retaining their UNISON membership and it is […]

Service Group Specific Communications

This Water, Environment and Transport Conference 2011 is disappointed that again there has been little specific publicity of our recently formed service group by head office. Our members particularly those in the public sector continue to be at the sharp end of cuts and job losses but regularly perform over and above their normal duties. […]

National Express

This Water, Environment and Transport Conference deplores the continuing anti-union behaviour of management at UK based National Express Group’s North American yellow school bus subsidiaries. We note that National Express Group has declined to introduce a freedom of information policy in order to protect the human rights of their employees by being able to join […]

Private Drains and Sewers

This WET Conference is aware that private drains and sewers will soon be “insourced” to the water industry probably by the end of 2011. While the extra work is obviously welcomed as a source to retain existing staffing levels, it is imperative that as well as the work the existing employees who do the work […]

Facility Time in the Environment Agency

This Water, Environment and Transport Conference notes that the Environment Agency is likely to suffer job losses as a result of funding cuts by the coalition via DEFRA. As part of the job losses it is obvious that some of our activists will also be victims of the cuts as will the membership density levels […]

The Role of Workplace Environmental Reps in the WET Service Group Following the Comprehensive Spending Review

This 2011 WET Conference notes that as part of the coalition’s comprehensive spending review was the announcement that the carbon reduction commitment energy efficiency scheme is to become a new carbon tax on public sector organisations like the Environment Agency, British Waterways and Passenger Transport Executives and larger companies like those in the water industry. […]

Undertaking Three Monthly Joint Health and Safety Inspections in the Companies Covered by the Energy Service Group

The 2011 Energy Conference notes that Trade Union Accredited H&S or SHE Representatives have a legal right to inspect the workplace 4 times per year. Agreeing dates can be a problem, therefore it is recommended that joint H&S inspections are agreed with management as near as practicable to 13, 26 and 39 weeks after European […]

WET Constitution

This Conference approves the attached constitution of the Water, Environment and Transport service group.

Sickness Absence Policies and Disability Related Sickness Absence

Over 5 years ago in 2005, the Government’s Strategy Unit published a far-reaching paper called ‘Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People’. This report, largely welcomed by trade unions, laid out an ambitious objective of ending discrimination against disabled people in Britain by the year 2025, twenty years later? A quarter of the way into […]

Changes to Access to Work Support

This conference is concerned about severe restrictions which have been placed on the support offered to disabled employees by Access to Work in recent changes starting October 1st. The great majority of funding for “physical adjustments” such as equipment, telephony, adaptations to buildings and similar will no longer be provided. The cost will now be […]

Disabled Members and the anti-cuts campaign

Conference notes that the Comprehensive Spending Review announced on October 20th will have a devastating effect on disabled people. With local government losing more than a quarter of its funding over the next four years, disabled people and their families are likely to see their services and support drastically affected. Conference believes that now more […]

AXING OUR RIGHTS

This Conference is deeply concerned at the coalition government’s announcement on Friday 13th August of its decision to axe the Audit Commission. The Commission has played an important role in promoting the employment rights and public service provision to disabled people by those public authorities that are covered by the Disability Equality Duty. Our greatest […]

STOP THE SURVEILLANCE OF DISABLED PEOPLE’S BENEFITS AND SPENDING POWER – DEMAND CRIMINALISATION OF INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE TAX FRAUDSTERS

This conference is gravely concerned about reports on 10 August 2010 that government intends to use credit rating firms to target disabled people claiming benefits by using intelligence about what disabled people choose to spend their benefit on. We see this latest attack as another bounty hunter initiative that could cost billions of pounds to […]

STRETCHING TARGETS FOR DISABLED EMPLOYEES SO THEY REFLECT THE POPULATON

This Conference is concerned that disabled people may become the first casualties of current job cuts in the public sector. Conference is also concerned that disabled service users will suffer if there are less disabled people employed in the public sector. It is very unusual for any workforce to reflect the percentage of the population […]

RESTRICTIONS IN CAR USER ALLOWANCES AND ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES

This Conference is concerned that many employers are cutting the mileage they will pay for disabled people who use their own vehicle for work purposes. We recognise that campaigns for the reduction in car usage and limiting the engine size that can be used for work purposes to 1000cc promotes the climate change agenda. However […]