Conference notes that women comprise less than 10 per cent (4,500) of the prison population and yet they account for nearly 50 per cent of the incidents of self harm amongst prisoners. In a recent report it was revealed that many have drug and/or mental health problems – at HMP Brockhill in the West Midlands […]
Conference motions
Thousands of women around the world work in an industry where exploitation is the order of the day. Workers cannot complain or they could lose their jobs. If they try to form a union or join a union to fight for better pay and conditions, they get ill-treated and intimidated. That is the garment trade. […]
During the last few decades, there has been a rise in the number of drug rapes and drug-related attacks, mainly taking place in pubs and clubs where the opportunity to spike drinks is readily available. Women are particularly vulnerable, so it is therefore necessary to be aware and informed of the problem and to raise […]
One in every nine women in the United Kingdom continues to develop breast cancer at some point in her lifetime. That is why being aware of self-examination and diagnostic procedures in hospitals are vital for all women. If you have been referred to hospital with a breast lump or a change in the appearance of […]
Conference is appalled by the use of rape as a weapon in many conflicts around the world. Rape is used against women by men in these situations to subdue and demoralise them. Rape has nothing to do with sexual desire but is the exertion of power over a group to cause alarm and despondency not […]
For the past 18 months a group of men have been campaigning for contact with their children after the breakdown of their relationships with the child’s/children’s mother. This had received a lot of press coverage and whilst we accept that some of the claims they make about women refusing them contact with their children we […]
Conference is concerned that some women are being discriminated against because they are undergoing fertility treatment. One month before the embryo is inserted the woman has to take strong medication. This medication often affects the woman’s hormone balance and the results can make the women feel extremely ill. After the embryo has been inserted total […]
Conference has always agreed that we want more women to become active and involved in all aspects of UNISON. But still barriers are placed in their way and this leads to frustration and allows the accusation of hypocrisy to be levelled at some sections of UNISON. We encourage women to attend UNISON conferences both National/Service […]
Conference notes that since the formation of UNISON in July 1993, Self-Organised Groups (SOGs), who are an integral part of our union, have been able to send two motions, selected from those submitted to their respective conferences, to the union’s decision-making body, the National Delegate Conference. This Conference believes that in order for all SOGs […]
This Conference welcomes the British Government’s commitment to support national governments who want to take forward a combination of approaches, balancing the urgent need to prevent new HIV infections with efforts to treat and care for people with HIV and Aids. The nations with the highest HIV infection rates are predominately Black, leading to scaremongering […]
The Sudanese government’s campaign of the ethnic cleansing of Black Africans is all but complete. State-backed Arab militia and the Sudanese army have driven over a million people from their homes. Murder, rape and robbery are the tools used to force Black Africans to flee the Darfur region. The West’s response has been to flood […]
Conference note that over the last 18 years, the rebels of Lord Resistance Army (LRA) have been abducting children, torturing and slaughtering innocent people of Northern & Eastern Uganda. The 18 year war against Uganda Government by the LRA has resulted in numerous massacres of the local population and the abduction of up to 20,000 […]
Conference remains concerned about the drastic cuts in the Commission for Racial Equality’s (CRE) funding of free and accessible community-based frontline Complainant Aid services, which had been the primary resource for black workers seeking advice, support and representation for complaints of race discrimination. Conference believes that despite an increase in anti-discrimination laws, black workers and […]
Conference rejects the presence of the BNP and other far right parties in the UK and condemns its role in the increase in racist abuse and racist attacks against our ethnic minority members and communities. Conference welcomes ongoing initiatives being taken to combat racism and the rise of the BNP, such as the programme of […]
At the National Delegate Conference in 1997 Conference voted overwhelmingly for paid Black officers in every region – to be available amongst other things, to advise on the quality of representation afforded to Black Members. The union saw fit never to implement this motion despite the motion being union policy. Prior to and since this […]