Conference welcomes the decision by UNISON’s Higher Education Service Group Executive (HESGE) to ballot members on the 2013/14 pay offer and the decision by members to take industrial action to substantially improve the offer. Conference believes that our fight for fair pay and conditions is part of UNISON’s fight against austerity and for an alternative […]
Conference motions
This conference calls on the Higher Education Service Group to lead and coordinate a systematic programme of submitting Freedom of Information requests to all relevant Higher Education institutions to identify the value of salary and wider reward packages offered to that institution’s senior management. Information gained should then be made available to local branches and […]
Conference notes the continued promotion of shared services and privatisation of higher education by the Coalition Government. Evidence from the outsourcing and marketisation of public services suggests that in many cases additional costs are incurred and, increasingly, public sector organisations are looking to in-source services in order to achieve greater efficiency and better value for […]
This Higher Education Conference notes: 1)The brilliant win by Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) Wigan Hovis workers against zero-hour contracts and the mistreatment of agency workers. 2)UNISON’s view that “zero hours contracts are not compatible with developing a professional workforce delivering quality services”. 3)Under the UK’s regulations which came into force in 2011, […]
Conference notes with concern that lack of Black workers within Higher Education. Research carried out by the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) noted that only 8.6% of academic staff and 6.9% of support staff self-defined as Black. There are only 2 Black Vice Chancellors in the UK despite there being 168 UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). […]
This conference condemns the appalling practice over the past year of the employers changing people’s contracts and terms and conditions with the “accept it or you’re out” attitude as with Liverpool University and the hard working long serving staff. Therefore conference calls upon the Higher Education Service Group Executive to work with the National Executive […]
This conference condemns the appalling practice over the past years of the employers to fail to demonstrate a true commitment to the hard working long serving staff of their institutions by throwing them aside and turning to external sources for staff to run services. Therefore conference calls upon the Higher Education Service Group Executive to […]
Conference is concerned that some Higher Education (HE) institutions are still failing to implement Disability leave Policies, despite this being offered as an example of a reasonable adjustment in the Code of Practice relating to the employment provisions of the Equality Act 2010. Redundancies and cuts in the Higher Education sector are at an all […]
Conference is concerned that Universities are failing to carry out Equality Impact Assessments (EIA). Although no longer a statutory duty, as part of good employer/employee relations, it is vital that this process is undertaken to expose any detrimental effect HE cuts and redundancies are having on disabled employees. However, the process needs to be meaningful […]
Conference, since the coalition have taken power there has been mass redundancies, with many jobs being frozen and those who have survived are facing massive attacks on pay and conditions and threats of zero hour contracts. Black workers appear to be disproportionately affected by this. Government figures suggest there are approximately 250,000 people on zero […]
Conference, the 1999 McPherson report uncovered deep rooted institutional racism within the Metropolitan Police Force. In the aftermath of this report the police were forced to review stop and search practices, as these were a very obvious manifestation of police prejudice. However, recent years have seen police forces return to their old ways. The figures […]
Conference notes that in the UK there are 168 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Research conducted by the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) reports that Black people represents 8.6 per cent of higher education academic staff and 6.9 per cent of professional support staff. Conference is aware that in the UK the Higher Education context has changed […]
Conference notes that Higher Education has expanded in the past decade with a 28% increase in the number of students from all domiciles (Universities UK, 2011). The expansion is partly the result of a greater number of students from ethnic backgrounds going to university. Yet in spite of the increase in Higher Education Initial Participation […]
Migrant workers continue to be extremely vulnerable to race discrimination and false allegations of abuse from patients / care home residents and their families. They are also less likely to have colleagues coming forward as supportive witnesses. While UNISON already supports its members from overt racist discrimination from an employer, there is not always a […]
Conference is extremely alarmed by the CONDEM Government intention to make legislative requirement for the UK Landlords to check the immigration status of all prospective Tenants from 2014. Conference is concerned that Landlords will be required by Law to request evidence from the prospective tenants and their families, friends, and any other person (s) living […]