Conference is concerned about the extent of sexual harassment in workplaces and that there are no signs that it is decreasing. Far from it. There is evidence that the requirement to work from home during the pandemic led to online sexual harassment becoming more prevalent. Local government service group workplaces are no exception to this […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that mental health problems have been brought to the fore over the course of the pandemic. The Health and Safety Executive defines a mental health problem as “The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them”. According to the TUC, 70% of union safety reps report […]
Conference recognises that since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, UNISON members in local government have seen a dramatic change in how and where they work. According to the Office for National Statistics, in the UK 36% of the employed population did some work at home in 2020. UNISON’s 2020 equalities survey found that 40% […]
Conference notes that youth services have a vital positive and preventative role, and that youth workers and youth support workers provide input that enriches the lives of young people. In many and varied ways they help young people to lead positive lives as members of society. Youth services assist young people in finding employment, training […]
Conference recognises that the integration of health and social services is a long-mooted ambition across the UK from large parts of the worlds of local government and health. However, conference notes that in the few instances where health and social care integration is taken forward, the role of local government in the provision of social […]
Conference notes that school support staff have worked tirelessly in schools throughout the pandemic to support pupils, parents, and their communities – from ensuring free school meals provision, to deep cleaning schools, to covering classes when teachers were isolating. Conference believes they are the unsung heroes who rarely get the recognition they deserve by the […]
Conference notes that UNISON members in councils, schools and across local government have been on the front line of the fight against Covid and have been instrumental in ensuring that vital public services could continue during the pandemic. This has meant they have been more exposed than most to the physical and mental impacts of […]
Conference applauds the work carried out by care workers across the UK throughout the Covid pandemic and beyond and recognises the work done across UNISON in supporting our members and establishing ourselves as the union for the care workforce. Conference notes that despite the increasing recognition of the need to bring change to our care […]
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 […]
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 picture someone working in the energy sector, and you are likely to mentally summon up an image of a white, middle-aged male. Although a lack of diversity isn’t unique to energy, it is an issue that needs solving. While the situation is improving, it’s not changing fast enough, recent events have rightly woken up […]
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 […]