ABUSE OF BAND 4 ASSOCIATE PRACTITIONERS

Conference notes with dismay how band 4 Associate Practitioners are being abused in some of our NHS hospitals and departments. This role of Associate Practitioner was introduced to utilise the experience of HCAs giving them the opportunity to progress in the workplace and means for the NHS to overcome future shortages in the nursing workforce […]

PENSIONS – SALARY SACRIFICE SCHEMES WITH PRIVATE CONTRACTORS

Conference reaffirms its commitment in protecting members’ pensions, who face privatisation/outsourcing in the NHS or have already been privatised/outsourced during the life of this government. Conference notes the current present trend by private companies is moving to disband defined benefit pension schemes ( final salary schemes to its existing members), thereby raising the prospect of […]

BANK WORKING UNDER AGENDA FOR CHANGE

Walsall Hospitals Branch believes that many NHS employers are applying inconsistencies when using bank workers as a deliberate ploy to prevent the payment of overtime and unsociable hours payments enjoyed by NHS employees. NHS employers are engaging staff on separate bank workers contracts in order to avoid paying the appropriate AfC overtime rates. The Walsall […]

SICKNESS ABSENCE IN THE NHS

Conference notes the potential for lack of funding in healthcare and other associated Organisations, due to the broad financial restraints, which will impact upon and cut across all public sector budgets. Large employing organisations are required by Health and Safety law to work with recognised UNISON Health and Safety Officers to reduce the burden of […]

HIV HAS NOT GONE AWAY

This conference notes from the HIV & AIDS in the North West of England 2008 Report, that there has been an increase of 13 % of people newly diagnosed with HIV in the North West between 2007 and 2008. For the same period, there is a 24% increase in Lancashire. Overall there has been an […]

KEEP AMBULANCE SERVICES IN THE NHS

This conference has major concerns over Ambulance trusts using inappropriate methods in responding to 999 calls including: ·Excessive deployment of Community Responders ·Use of the unregulated voluntary and private sector. The concept of Community or First Responders was initiated to widen the availability of early defibrillation in immediately life threatening situations in areas that were […]

WORKING WITH OTHER PROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE ORGANISATIONS

This conference notes the Health Service Group Executive (HSGE) proposals within the UNISON structures review. To further the proposed changes and maximise the potential for occupational networks to influence the professional agenda in health, conference calls on the HSGE to draft a model for partnership working with existing professional bodies in healthcare encompassing: ·Administrative and […]

EQUALITY IN HEALTHCARE REGULATORY REGISTRATION FEES

This conference is concerned at the different and varied rates charged to registrants by health professional regulatory bodies for essentially the same service. Further, conference notes that none of these bodies have a system of pro-rata registration fees for part-time health workers nor a system based on affordability to pay. As health regulation spreads across […]

UNITED NATIONAL DURBAN REVIEW CONFERENCE (WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM)

This conference welcomes the long awaited review of the United Nations (UN) Durban World Conference Against Racism took place in Geneva from 20th to 24th April 2009. The conference news was dominated by the absence of “key” countries such as America, Canada and Australia and the “controversial” speech by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian Prime Minister […]

YOUNG BLACK WORKERS AND APPRENTICESHIP SCHEMES

This conference is aware that Apprenticeship schemes are limited and would like to encourage Young Black Workers to have better access to information on apprenticeship schemes. Conference is concerned about the low numbers of young Black workers that have successfully completed Apprenticeship schemes. Conference therefore calls upon the National Black Members’ Committee to work with […]

THE SINGLE EQUALITY BILL

We recognise and welcome the Single Equality Bill which will change Discrimination Legislation in important ways. We recognise the significance of the clause on positive action and measures to redress historic discrimination in the recruitment and promotion of Black and other discriminated groups. However this Bill provides an opportunity to go beyond monitoring statistics and […]

THE CHALLENGE OF MALARIA CONTROL

Conference commends UNISON’s International work including Action Aid, Water and sanitation in Gaza, creating awareness of corporate tax evasion in developing countries, HIV and Aids in Southern Africa, to name just a few. Conference is, however, concerned about UNISON’s lack of work on the eradication of malaria, a killing machine that has, for so many […]

BLACK NEC SEATS SHOULD BE ELECTED BY BLACK MEMBERS

This conference would like to raise the issue of the current process of electing Black NEC members to the reserved Black seats. Presently this process is open to the whole membership of our union. We believe that any election to these seats should only be voted on by Black members as the seats are for […]

RECORDING ETHNIC ORIGIN DATA ON THE RMS

This conference notes that the RMS system still does not record data on the ethnic origins of all our members. Information is collected on members joining branches, however a member could change job in their workplace and never complete a membership update form. In order to have accurate records on the ethnic origins of all […]

NATIONAL SLAVERY MEMORIAL DAY

UNISON was actively instrumental in winning August 23 as the National Slavery Memorial Day in 2007. However the response of our union in leading and organising Black workers and others to commemorate this day has been very low key or in some cases non-existent. The union must commit to a regionally supported event and an […]