Professional Indemnity

UNISON believes that it is the responsibility of the employer to cover any act or omission on the part of a member in the course of their employment under the vicarious liability of the employer. Nevertheless this Conference believes that the cover which UNISON provides to its members in Health should be extended to its […]

The Disability Discrimination Act

Conference notes that the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) states that one in five of the population has a disability. A greater number of people are affected by disability by virtue of their role as a worker with disabled people or as a carer. As the population and workforce profiles age, it is likely that even […]

International Policy

International developments, whether economic, social or political, affect all areas of UNISON’s membership. Conference, in recognising this, notes that one of the founding principles of the union was that of international solidarity and friendship with trade unions overseas and in particular with unions struggling against the forces of oppression, privatisation and injustice. For decades we […]

Rule G.4.1.1 Branch Officers

After “Education Co-ordinator,” add “Lifelong Learning Co-ordinator,”

Supporting Equality and Diversity

Conference welcomes the work done by UNISON’s branches, regions and at national level to promote equal opportunities in employment, wider society and our own organisation. In particular, Conference applauds UNISON’s initiative regarding implementation of the Stephen Lawrence report and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, our lead in the campaign against racism, and recent advice and […]

Asylum Seekers

Conference notes that the government is determined to introduce still another round of asylum/immigration legislation that will further restrict refugee rights, having already announced dramatic cuts in legal aid for asylum cases. Features of the forthcoming legislation will include: 1)added restrictions on the right to appeal negative decisions, with little or no access to higher […]

Young Lesbians and Gay Men – The Need for a National Strategy

Conference notes that young lesbians and gay men are six times more likely to attempt suicide than other young people. They are also more likely to succeed, so they account for over half of actual youth suicide in the UK. Conference therefore welcomes the repeal of Section 28 as the single most effective step to […]

The Management of Health and Safety Regulations to Include Stress

We call upon Conference to adopt this motion to press for the inclusion of the recognition of stress to be included in regulation 3(1)(a) of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The main problems are that under the current legislation there are no laws that recognise work-related stress as an illness. […]

Employment Rights in the UK

Conference welcomes the government’s employment rights bill 2003 but believes that it does not go far enough, leaving workers in Britain with less protection than those employed in the rest of Europe. We welcome those provisions that build on the Employment Rights Act of 1999, improving the process of recognition and establishing important and consultation […]

Fair Play For Front Line Workers

Conference notes with concern: 1)the number of our low paid members in front line public service jobs who have their employment terminated on the grounds of incapacity; 2)that conditions affecting those members, such as vibration white finger, cervical spondylitis, carpel tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow are invariably caused by the nature of the job involving […]

Elderly Persons’ Homes

Conference notes with concern the increasing number of local authority elderly person’s homes which have transferred with the transfer to private companies. Conference believes that a well-funded and accountable local authority provision of this service is essential to the establishment and maintenance of high standards across all providers of this service. Conference also notes that […]

Migrant Health Workers

Conference is increasingly concerned at the exploitation of migrant Health workers, which is taking place in Health Services in the UK. We recognise that the NHS has taken significant steps to address the exploitation and we welcomed the guidance, which was issued in 2003. However, during 2003 an estimated 40,000 overseas nurses applied for nursing […]

Staffing Levels

Conference deplores the cost cutting measures employed within NHS Hospital and Primary Care Trusts which have resulted in falling staff levels in wards, departments and community services throughout the Health Service. Low staffing levels result in increased ill health absences which only exacerbates the situation for those staff still at work. Moreover, staff are often […]

Childrens Trusts

Conference welcomes the introduction of greater co-operation and joint working between health and social services as demonstrated by the introduction of Children’s and Older Persons/Adults trusts. Many of our members already work in integrated service under Section 31 funding arrangements or through other joint funding regimes on a variety of secondment or other employment arrangements. […]

Nursing Recruitment and Retention Campaign

As part of the national campaign to recruit and retain nursing staff in UNISON, conference agrees that resources should be made available to enable all regions to establish or enter into relevant partnerships with existing library and nursing services databases to ensure that access to this range of professional services becomes a recruiting tool for […]