Conference celebrates the fact the since the birth of UNISON self-organisation has had an essential and continuing role in the development and participation of Black, Women, Disabled people and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender members. However, many of UNISON branches do not have their own local Self Organised Group (SOGs). One of the barriers to […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that on 18th May 2016 the Government’s proposals to force maintained schools to become academies in England were announced alongside limits on local authorities’ role in school improvement and a revised national funding formula for schools. The stated aim in these proposals is for all schools to become academies with the Secretary of […]
Conference notes that the UK faces an acute housing shortage, particularly in the South East of England, but also impacting in a significant way on many other parts of the country. This has led to rising housing costs which are unaffordable to many, leading to both housing and social problems: 1) House prices in the […]
Composite B BLACK MENTAL HEALTH. Conference, the theme of mental health crops up a lot at these conferences and with good reason. The Mental Health Foundation which is the leading mental health research organisation in the UK states that black people from the UK are: More likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems More […]
Conference is concerned that health services for the whole community are under sustained attack from wave after wave of austerity cuts. We know that Black communities take a disproportionate impact of these cuts There is growing alarm at the impact of cuts to mental health services for vulnerable children and young people. A recent annual […]
Conference, the toxic debate on immigration has deep echoes of a past that never seems to leave us. The response of UNISON Black members’ is based on the lessons of the anti-racist movement and principals of self-organisation. It is said that poverty breeds fear which causes people to look for scapegoats. UKIP and its rhetoric […]
Conference, the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) piloted a Race Equality Charter Mark with the aim to inspire a strategic approach to making cultural and systemic changes that will make a real difference to Black staff and students. The Charter covered: a)Professional and support staff b)Academic staff c)Student attainment, diversity of the curriculum and progression of […]
This Conference notes that in his acceptance speech, Jeremy Corbyn promised that the Labour Party, with him as leader, will reach out to everyone in this country and nobody would be left on the side. The relationship between the Labour Party and Black communities needs to be a key focus of any and all steps […]
Conference notes with some distress that despite the UNISON ruling which allows for the creation of Black members self organised groups, protected seats at the highest lay member level, fairness and proportionality rules for conference and numerous motions which promote the increased involvement of Black members throughout our structures, many Black members continue to report […]
Conference, for many years medical science has been discovering life changing and life saving ways to increase life expectancy of human beings. However one of the areas that need to be highlighted for enhancing and saving life is organ donation. A donation is where a person donates their organs and tissues for transplant. A transplant […]
Conference, many people will not have heard of the Rohingya people, yet as the Economist noted these are some of the most persecuted minorities of people. The Rohingya people are Muslims from the Rakhine state in Burma and speak the Rohingya language. As far back as 1982 the Burmese government has denied the Rohingya citizenship, […]
Last summer, Israel launched another deadly assault on Gaza. Over 2200 Palestinians were killed and tens of thousands are still homeless. Currently, people in Gaza are living amongst the rubble of their homes, without proper running water or electricity. One year on and the problems left by this assault are still visible. We want to […]
Conference notes human rights abuse perpetrated within the country of origin of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who make asylum applications in the United Kingdom (UK). Many of these countries are Commonwealth members with strong historical links to the UK. If returned to their homeland, there would be a good chance these […]
Since the disastrous election of a majority Tory Government in May 2015 the impact of public sector and welfare cuts has worsened for Black people. The Tories first budget has deepened austerity with more than 1.25 million Black households and 4 million Black people worse off under the range of budget measures that will have […]
Conference notes with growing concern the UNISON research and statistics which chart the experience of Black members under the austerity agenda. We know that Black people are more likely to be selected for redundancy, and to face workplace disciplinary procedures. These situations are compounded where the member also has a disability where the combination of […]