There have been longstanding and chronic issues around recruiting and retaining workers in the social care workforce. Skills for Care data showed a vacancy rate in England of more than 7% before COVID. Poor pay and terms and conditions and too many unscrupulous employers mean the care sector was already in crisis before COVID hit. […]
Conference motions
Conference notes the publication in June 2021 of “A decent place to live”, a report commissioned by UNISON and produced by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) which identifies the shocking extent of the housing crisis in the UK and outlines a clear, positive vision for the future of affordable housing. This in-depth research […]
Conference notes the adoption of motion 72 “Supporting Our Branches: The Branch Resource Review” at 2021 Special Delegate Conference. Conference further notes and endorses the principles contained in Branch Resource Review Proposal 12: Organising School. Conference believes that the training, education and development of Community members is pivotal to ensuring that UNISON’s equality and organising […]
Conference notes the work undertaken by the Service Group Executive since the passing of 2016 National Delegate Conference Motion 2 ‘Organising for growth’ and in particular the initiatives taken by UNISON centrally to further examine the issues related to the current barriers and opportunities to developing, organising and supporting our membership, recognising that key lessons […]
The Community Service Group is very different from others within our union. There are more than eighty thousand members, employed by more than six thousand different employers. More than three thousand members are the only UNISON member at their employer. And most UNISON community members are part of branches where they are in a minority, […]
Conference notes the publication in July 2021 of the Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI) research submitted to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Left Behind Neighbourhoods which outlines that those who live in 225 “left behind” neighbourhoods in England receive less than half the charitable grant funding than other deprived places. In this […]
Throughout the pandemic we have seen how important Social Care Workers have been to the country, demonstrating their skills and professionalism, yet most don’t earn the real living wage and many are still on zero hours contracts. As more workers leave the sector, for better pay and recognition of their skills, we need to fight […]
The respected think-tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in Autumn 2019 produced a headline “Hospitals face £80bn bill due to toxic PFI Legacy” with a report detailing; 1) Prior to COVID-19, the health service faces a PFI “postcode lottery” as some trusts faced spending up to £1 in every £6 on PFI payments with […]
National health service national on call agreement During the negotiations to implement Agenda for Change Unison was the lead union to persuade members and other unions that Agenda for Change would ensure fairness in the workplace. Before Agenda for Change members worked different hours, had different annual leave entitlements, different unsocial hours and different on […]
End Nepotism in the NHS The NHS is meant to be an equal opportunity employer but time and again the best paid jobs go to people well connected or within influence of those in powerful positions. We see jobs going to favourable people who don’t seem to go through any formal interview process and jobs […]
Conference notes the judgement issued by the Supreme Court on 19 March 2021 in the case of Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake, which found that care workers employed on sleepover shifts were not entitled to the minimum wage and congratulates UNISON on pursuing this case to the Supreme Court. We believe that this devastating outcome […]
Conference notes the publication in July 2020 Liverpool City Council’s report in conjunction with UNISON North West, the University of Kent, and the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE): “Who Cares? Reinventing Adult Social Care” which examines the case for the in-sourcing of social care and adds to the debate around this issue. This report […]