Campaigning for Safety within the Social Care Workforce

CAMPAIGNING FOR SAFETY WITHIN THE SOCIAL CARE WORKFORCE Conference notes that women make up over 3/4 of the Health and Social Care Workforce, with an even larger proportion of women directly delivering care to service users within a home care environment. The experiences of nurses and care workers who provide health and social care at […]

Educational exclusion and the disproportionate impact on girls

Throughout the country there has been a massive rise in permanent exclusions and children being educated at home. Recent figures show a national increase of 300% in permanent exclusions in 2017. The Department of Education’s report on permanent and fixed term exclusions published in 2016/17 stated that some secondary schools are excluding up to 20% […]

SHOW TRANSPHOBIA THE RED CARD

Conference, we are deeply disturbed by the rise in transphobia towards trans women during and following the recent consultation regarding the Gender Recognition Act (GRA). Whilst we recognise everyone is entitled to their own view, hate must not infiltrate our union. Conference welcomes the UNISON stance of supporting self-identification, but much work is still needed […]

Domestic Violence – Time for UNISON to Take Action

Ever week more than two women are killed by current or ex-partners and figures are sadly rising. Currently one in four women in the UK will experience domestic violence at some point in their lives. All research indicates that in an economic recession, domestic violence and abuse increases yet meanwhile the Government imposed austerity cuts […]

ASK FOR ANGELA – IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE

Conference notes that ‘Ask for Angela’ is a scheme instigated in Lincolnshire County Council in 2016, which has been endorsed and rolled out in other cities in the UK. The initiative provided a mechanism where women, who feel unsafe, uncomfortable or threatened on a date or a night out can approach the staff at the […]

No to Islamophobia, Defend A Woman’s Right To Choose What She Wears

Conference utterly condemns the former foreign secretary Boris Johnson who used his weekly newspaper column in The Sunday Telegraph to launch a vicious diatribe against Muslim women who wear the burqa. “It is absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes,” he wrote. He went on to attack young women […]

Abortion Rights

Conference applauds the historic landslide vote by the people of Southern Ireland to repeal the 8th amendment to the Irish constitution and recognises the huge victory for a women’s right to choose both in the South but also as a beacon of hope for all women wherever they live who are still fighting for access […]

Social care cuts and how it impacts women

The current cuts to our NHS and social care provision are causing great health poverty to women and families. Social care is the very bedrock of our society, women bear the brunt of the care crisis. The majority of the care workforce, paid and unpaid, are women, and the majority of those in need of […]

Period necessity, not a Luxury

Conference notes that a motion on ‘period poverty’ was passed at the 2018 national women’s conference. Conference is pleased that since then, Scotland and Wales have committed themselves to providing free sanitary products to schools. This is a very positive move and example. However, conference feels this does not go far enough, we believe that […]

Menopause and the workplace

Around 3.5 million women aged 50years and over are currently in employment in the UK. The employment rate for women in the UK has actually increased in the past few decades and women now represent nearly half of the UK labour force. This means that many more women are affected by symptoms of the menopause […]

Women and debt

Conference notes that in terms of issues surrounding gender equality, debt is rarely cited as a contributing factor in women’s overall financial status. However, the reality is that, in the UK, research proves that debt impacts women more than men. Of the 8.8 million people struggling with debt in the UK, 64% are women (Money […]

Young Women and Student Loan Repayments

Going to University, gaining an education should be a positive experience for our young members. However, student loans are the burden that our young educated women members carry through a significant period of their working life. In fact the only way to escape complete repayment of any student loan is if a young woman never […]

Sex Discrimination Law

When it comes to sex discrimination law, the UK’s national story has undoubtedly been one of considerable progress over many years, but it is also true that in some areas that progress has been too slow or has stalled altogether. Our discrimination laws have been instrumental in changing attitudes and in improving life for many […]

Bargaining for Carers

This conference applauds the recent publication by UNISON of the BARGAINING ON CARERS POLICIES: How branches can benefit from bargaining on carers rights at work The Carers Trust defines a carer as “anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot […]