Conference welcomes the UK government’s U-turn on mandatory vaccinations, and condemns the government for creating the problem in the first place. Conference welcomes UNISON’s role in contributing to the government’s change in policy. Conference opposes any further push to extend mandatory vaccination into social care services in England. UNISON is strongly supportive of the vaccination […]
Conference motions
The UNISON rule book stipulates one of the aims of our union is to “promote fair representation in all the Union’s structures for women, members of all grades, Black members, disabled members and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender plus (LGBT+) members.” As a movement built on the values of solidarity and collectivism, we know just […]
Black members are still under-represented at branch, regional and national level in local government even though they make a significant contribution to the workforce in local government. The trend that the National Black members are looking to change by working with the LGSGE and supporting initiatives to include Black workers across the service group Equality […]
Conference, funding cuts and the government’s long-delayed plans to address social inequalities is one of the major causes of in-work poverty experienced by Black Workers and the cause of severe inter-generational inequality in Black communities. Recent funding increases have not undone £15bn of cuts in central government grants to local authorities between 2010 and 2020, […]
Conference notes with grave concern the impact of the 2016 Trade Union Act on our union’s ability to take large scale industrial action in support of legitimate trade disputes. The main lesson of the first five years of this restrictive legislation is that, repeatedly, national industrial action ballots are returning high majorities in support of […]
This conference congratulates those branches that have secured settlements to correct historic underpayments of holiday pay for term time only (TTO) workers. Since the publication of the NJC guidance in 2019, UNISON has secured over £55 million in settlements for term time only staff who have been underpaid. The conference commends the joint guidance to […]
Conference notes that research by UNISON recently revealed that councils in England and Wales are facing a combined funding shortfall of just under £5bn for the financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. The funding for councils subsequently announced in the Westminster government’s 2021 spending review fell woefully short of what was needed to fill that funding […]
D 2.9 Renumber existing Rule D 2.9 as D 2.9.1 and add a new rule as D 2.9.2: “D 2.9.2 The election of chairs and vice-chairs of the committees shall occur in accordance with the union’s commitment to fair representation as set out in Rule D 2.14.3 and in particular the proportion of posts held […]
Westminster’s First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system has created a toxic environment by repeatedly returning extreme governments against the wishes of most voters. In 19 of the last 20 general elections parties to the left of the Conservatives won the popular vote, yet the Tories have governed for two-thirds of that time. This has […]
Conference notes that the Covid-19 pandemic has drawn attention to a previously hidden problem in this country. The shocking lack of support many workers get when they are sick. These issues are well known to UNISON members who work for a variety of different private contractors in our public services. The Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) […]
Conference recognises the climate emergency and supports the de-carbonisation ambitions of national and devolved governments. Conference notes the key role that local government will play in delivering net zero strategies, being uniquely placed to lead by example and also increase public awareness of the scale and pace of change needed to meet the climate emergency. […]
Conference notes that we are in a worsening cost of living crisis with inflation at the highest rate for 30 years and a record increase in household energy bills. according to Office of National Statistics data, inflation using the government’s preferred measure of the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 5.4 percent in the 12 […]
Conference recognises that young workers can make a real difference in local government branches by campaigning on the issues that affect them directly. Insecure/precarious work, zero hours contracts, training, discrimination, workplace rights, pay and conditions, mental health, and bullying and harassment are key issues experienced by young workers. Young people are more likely to be […]
Our Women members are our greatest asset. Conference welcomes the election of Christina McAnea as the first woman General Secretary of a major trade union. Representing more than a million women working across the range of public services, UNISON with its commitment to lay democracy and proportionality and fair representation enshrined within our rule book […]
This conference notes: 1) The pandemic has posed union organising new challenges, with activists learning new tools and means to engage members; 2) Engaging members working from home, particularly non-members, remains challenging; 3) Some employers used the pandemic to attack pay, terms and conditions, some using fire and rehire tactics; 4) That despite the challenges, […]