Conference recognises that the pandemic has taken a toll on mental health across the board. Fear and anxiety, created by uncertainty about the disease and how it is transmitted, is understandable and unavoidable, but confusing and misleading government guidance has worsened the situation. For frontline staff, particularly staff in health and social care, the experience […]
Conference motions
Conference recognises the lack of trade union recognition with private contractors and independent companies prevents collective bargaining on issues including pay, terms and condition and securing an equal and sustainable post pandemic settlement for workers delivering public services. This is known to be a contributory factor in the perpetuation of low wages and poor conditions […]
The coronavirus pandemic has shone a stark light on the deep and persistent structural inequalities which cut across the UK. However, the impact of the crisis on lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) people has often been absent from the narrative. This stems from many factors, including failure to capture LGBT+ identities within specific research […]
Conference acknowledges that even before Covid, equality was increasingly being seen as a luxury in the workplace, with many employers barely abiding by the law. There is now a risk of going backwards. Challenging discrimination and winning equality is at the heart of everything UNISON does. Conference believes that there is a need to review […]
Conference notes that the Covid 19 pandemic has revealed the structural inequality disabled people face but has also created a once in a lifetime opportunity to confront discrimination and inequality and to rebuild society and our workplaces in a way that allows the talent and potential of disabled workers to flourish. Prior to Covid 19 […]
Conference notes that at the end of the second world war the entire labour and trade union movement and the majority of society more widely coalesced around calls for a new social and economic settlement. This was based on the creation of the NHS, the welfare state and full employment policies that would address the […]
Conference notes the immense contribution that UNISON members across the UK have made – ensuring that the most vulnerable were cared for and making sure that our communities continued to function throughout the dark days of the pandemic. Conference places on the record its profound thanks for their bravery and sacrifice during this period and […]
Conference has always recognised that health and social care workers are dedicated and hard working but lowly paid with poor terms and conditions. They do their best to provide quality care but against a background of crisis within health and social care services. Even prior to the Covid crisis, research had confirmed that care for […]
Conference is extremely proud of the growth in membership across the regions over the past year. This includes not only the high recruitment rate but importantly the strong retention rate as well. Whilst a significant number of these new members have joined because of the tireless work of our activists throughout the past year; while […]
It is true to say that a government could not be faced with a much more serious situation than a global pandemic. But it is clear that the UK government could not have played its difficult hand any worse than it has done. When assessing the efficacy of the government�s response to the pandemic, Conference […]
Everyone should have the right and expectation to a safe and healthy working environment. Unfortunately, in too many workplaces throughout this pandemic this has not been the case � either because of conditions and lack of appropriate equipment in physical workplaces or because of the need to work at home without a proper workstation and/or […]
Conference notes that the next meeting of the United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 26) is scheduled to take place in Glasgow in November 2021. Conference notes that we are already experiencing climate change and that public bodies are already dealing with the consequences, having to divert budgets to respond to […]
The pandemic has caused devastation, loss and left communities fragile and finding mental health concerns on the rise. Structural inequalities have left groups of staff feeling targeted and discriminated against.Risk assessments are being completed as a matter of course, but not followed through if that member of staff has been identified as high risk. UNISON�s […]
Conference notes that motion 126, which was passed at the 2019 National Delegate Conference, re-established a focussed two-year Branch Resources Review alongside agreeing interim branch funding formula changes. The aim was to conclude the review of branch funding which first started in 2011 with a report to conference this year. Conference recognises the vital importance […]
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 with injured or disabled people were not entitled to the minimum wage. Conference congratulates UNISON on pursuing this case to the Supreme Court and […]