Employment Rights

Conference welcomes the new individual employment rights for 2007 but believes that there needs to be a fresh push for an increase in collective trade union rights. In particular, Conference notes the extension of the Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) regulations for undertaking with greater than 100 employees and the following parts of the […]

Promoting the Gender Equality Duty

Conference is pleased to note that, following the introduction of the Gender Equality Duty in April 2007, there is now a statutory duty on all public authorities to have due regard to the need to: 1) eliminate unlawful sex discrimination; 2) promote equality of opportunity between men and women. Public authorities will no longer be […]

Rule B.1 At Work and in the Community

Rule B.1 Add new point 7. “7.To promote trade unionism.” and renumber remaining points accordingly.

Bullying – Action Not Words

Conference notes that: 1) bullying is a major cause of stress in the workplace. Workers will often be absent on sickness grounds as a result. This in turn can lead to punitive action by the employer using draconian sickness policies; 2) workers often remain unwilling to either report bullying or to take out formal grievance […]

Global Warming

Conference notes with concern: 1)the growing consensus that global warming is already happening and that the potential consequences of climate change could end up being catastrophic; 2)that so far our political leaders have failed to address the need to significantly cut carbon emissions. Conference believes: a)that introducing ‘green’ taxes will not by themselves achieve the […]

Pension Funds and Capital Stewardship – Toward the Citizen Economy

Conference notes that workers around the world have become “citizen investors” through their occupational pension schemes and savings, and are now collectively the majority owners of most large companies. Conference also recognises growing evidence that good governance of pension funds and active shareholder engagement with companies can improve fund values while simultaneously benefiting employees and […]

Occupational Registration Conduct and Standards

Conference acknowledges the expansion of occupational and professional registration conduct and standards, across the range of areas of UNISON membership. In principle such registration procedures are to be welcomed in: 1)providing public protection and safeguards; 2)protecting practitioners against malicious claims; 3)enhancing standards of service and provision; and, 4)developing occupational and qualification standards as part of […]

Palestine

Conference continues to consider that a just solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict must be based upon international law and Israel should: 1) withdraw to its 1949-67 borders; 2) allow the refugees of 1948 to return home; 3) remove all its settlements from the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Occupied Syrian Al-Joulan; 4) take down the Apartheid […]

Public Services

This is a time of unprecedented change in public services. The government’s reform of our public services seldom translates into anything other than a liberalisation agenda, with markets opened up to the private sector on the false premise that there will be more choice for the ‘consumer’, namely user of public services. The evidence of […]