Conference notes that European Union law provides protection against sexual orientation discrimination – as well as age, disability, religion and belief – in the area of employment, but that there is currently no such protection in EU law against discrimination on these grounds in areas such as social protection, goods and services, health care and […]
Conference motions
Conference welcomes the progress made in raising the profile of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) participation in our union. We can be proud of our achievements in continuing to support and encourage self organisation at all levels of our union. Most of us take it for granted that we can organise and meet to […]
Conference welcomes the new UNISON Equality Scheme which, in addition to covering the statutory equality streams of gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation, age and religion/belief, also seeks to ensure equality within the union on the grounds of low pay. Conference acknowledges that although the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) self organised group […]
Conference notes with concern that in the 2008 local elections the British National Party (BNP) made a net gain of 10 seats in England and Wales, bringing their total number of seats to 55. In London the British National Party (BNP) crossed the 5% hurdle needed to get a “party list” seat on the Assembly. […]
Conference affirms that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality is an integral part of the organising and bargaining work of the union. Conference considers that UNISON’s Equality Scheme is a significant opportunity to achieve this. The purpose of the Equality Scheme is to make sure that equality is promoted and discrimination challenged in everything […]
Conference is aware that some employers encourage their employees to donate blood by allowing the National Blood Service (NBS) to run donor sessions in the workplace. Conference notes that for people who may be unable to donate due to current donor selection criteria (including many gay and bisexual men, as well as people with medical […]
Conference notes the human rights abuses perpetrated within the country of origin of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who make asylum applications in the UK. It also acknowledges the serious failings of the UK Borders and Immigration Agency to appropriately process and investigate such applications. Conference believes that urgent reforms need to be […]
Conference recognises the work of the National Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Committee regarding bisexual members within the union and striving for inclusion and active participation of this group with activities such as Bisexual caucuses and network meetings. Conference is saddened to note however that bisexual members are still reluctant to participate for fear […]
Conference is concerned that there remains inequality in the provision of goods, facilities and services to Transgender members especially in the case of medical treatment. Looking at Wales as an example, last year, this conference heard how the Health Commission Wales (HCW), a body of the Welsh Assembly set up to fund specialist services in […]
This conference welcomes the recent formation of a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Self-Organised Group (SOG) in the Highland Branch. This is an area of Scotland where there are few facilities for LGBT people. The land mass of the Highland branch is the same size as Belgium, with many small rural communities, where LGBT […]
Conference is appalled, despite a majority of 13:2, China actively refused to back agreement for a non-binding Presidential statement condemning continued widespread human rights violations inflicted on the peoples of Burma by the military junta, at last Tuesday’s (13 November) United Nations (UN) Security Council. Forced labour, torture, ill treatment, sexual violence and child labour […]
Conference welcomes the Government’s recent announcement (8 October 2007) that it plans to ban incitement to homophobic hatred in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill. However, conference notes that this announcement has met a mixed response, both from those who oppose virtually all moves towards LGBT equality but also from some who seek to be […]
Conference recognises that homophobia continues in the UK. Despite many welcome changes in Legislation, acts of hatred and persecution towards LGBT people continues to poison our society. This was tragically illustrated in April 2007 when James Kerr, an employee of Perth and Kinross Council, was the victim of a horrific homophobic attack in his local […]
Conference notes with increasing concern: 1.the continued threat posed by the BNP and other parties of the far right in Britain and in other EU countries; 2.evidence of the link between success at local level of far right/fascist parties and an increase in racist, xenophobic, homophobic attacks; 3.the explicitly anti-LGBT nature of these groupings in […]
Homophobia, biphobia, sexism, gender stereotyping and transphobiais rife in schools and statistics bear witness to this. A recent Stonewall Survey found that: 1.65% of lesbian and gay school pupils have been bullied because of their sexuality; 2.Half of teachers ignore homophobic language when they hear it; 3.30% of pupils say that adults are responsible for […]