Developing Black Members in the NHS Workforce

Conference notes the over-representation of Black workers in the lower paid roles in the NHS; particularly bands 1-4. The staff in bands 1-4 make up around 40% of the 1.3 million workers in the NHS and are responsible for an estimated 60% of direct patient contact. However these workers receive less than 20% of the […]

Keep Our Commissioning Support Units Public

Conference recognises that when Commissioning Support Units were set up across England when Primary Care Trusts were shut down by the coalition government. Their job is to advise local Clinical Commissioning Groups on buying health services for local people and they can be of strategic importance. The government is now proposing to remove Commissioning Support […]

Pay Campaign – a pound an hour increase for all

Conference congratulates the Health Group Executive and the leadership of our sister NHS unions on the campaign of industrial action to defend the real value of NHS pay. Conference however is concerned at the exceptionally modest ambition of this campaign and believe that for workers to be encouraged to take action we need to seek […]

Organising outsourced workers around pay

Conference believes that a major incentive to outsourcing is the belief that it is possible to obtain cheaper services by giving outsourced workers worse pay and conditions than the ‘core’ NHS workforce. Conference believes it is absolutely essential to submit pay claims each year to major outsourcing companies with the aim of achieving at least […]

Privatisation and the Primary Provider Model

The NHS Health and Social Care Act opened the door to wholesale and unfettered privatisation of the NHS. Conference is appalled at the scale of this sell-off. The NHS in England has also seen a proliferation of a new model of privatisation that is sometimes referred to as a Primary Provider contract. One particular example […]

Establishing Procurement Policies in Commissioning Organisations

The Health and Social Care Act has completely changed the way commissioning is undertaken in the NHS with commissioning decisions paving the way for increased outsourcing and privatisation. UNISON remains vigorously opposed to privatisation of public services. Conference believes that privatisation is taking clinicians away from frontline care as they spend increased time on tenders. […]

Recruitment and retention of ambulance workers

Conference notes the mounting crisis in ambulance services across the UK around the recruitment and retention of ambulance staff. This crisis is growing as more staff leave their jobs as paramedics, ambulance technicians and control staff to pursue other work. Over the last few years, the ambulance workforce has changed, as has the work itself. […]

For the 7%

Conference notes that 93% of the Health Service Group membership is employed within the National Health Service, and that we must continue to campaign for employment on decent pay within the NHS as a publicly-accountable, and properly-funded public service. This Conference further notes that the remaining 7% of the Health Service Group membership is employed […]

Post Alemo-Heron Pay Bargaining

Conference notes that the Alemo-Heron case has unfortunately broken the assumed dynamic link with pre-existing collective agreements for pay rises for members subject to TUPE transfer. We recognise that this means that unless there is a specific post-transfer agreement that binds future pay rises to the pre-TUPE arrangements that transferred members, are now subject to […]

Fragmentation of the NHS

Conference notes that the Health and Social Care Act has resulted in more NHS contracts being awarded to non-public sector organisations whether private companies or social enterprises. This has led to an unacceptable level of fragmentation in service provision which has a negative impact on UNISON members pay, terms and conditions and morale. Conference instructs […]

Proportionality

It is over 20 years since UNISON was formed and proportionality and fair representation were enshrined in the new Rule Book for the new union. After 20 years, the question must be asked – how well have we done on achieving proportionality and fair representation? Conference acknowledges the good work to date on developing mechanisms […]

Endometriosis and Adenomyosis; A Workplace Issue

Endometriosis and Adenomyosis are chronic and painful conditions where cells from the lining of the womb are deposited in other parts of the body instead of being lost during menstruation. These cells continue to change in size and bleed in response to a woman’s normal menstrual cycle. This can affect bowel, bladder and kidney function, […]

Beyond the European Elections – what happens next?

Conference notes that in May 2014, 28 member states of the European Union (EU) elected 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to represent their interests. These elected representatives have a 5 year term of office in which to advance any number of common policies and promote a Europe that celebrates all its diverse members […]

Saying what we mean

Conference believes that inclusive language is important in ensuring that all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) women within the women’s movement and UNISON women’s self organisation feel welcome and valued. Conference also believes that language, and our understanding of language, is constantly evolving, and that as women, including LGBT women, we should always be […]

Disabled Trafficked Women’s Rights – What Rights?

This Women’s Conference is concerned to learn about recent reports of abuse towards disabled women in the human trafficking industry. This is an industry where escaping is often met with even greater barriers than usual for non disabled women as accessible support systems are extremely hard to find, and their built environments and accessible information […]