Conference notes that the UK is suffering from an acute housing crisis, with rents soaring and house building grinding to a halt as a direct result of the recession, whilst the number of new households is increasing faster than the number of new builds. Against a background of mounting debt across the country, huge numbers […]
Conference motions
Across the Service Group local terms and conditions and those underpinned by sector-wide agreements reside in the bargain basement of public sector employment. Even where a statutory basis exists they are rarely above the minimum entitlement. Yet many employers, with overt encouragement from sector employer organisations, are choosing to use central government funding cuts to […]
This Conference is alarmed at the scale of job losses that are ongoing within the Environment Agency. It notes that since the Tory led coalition came into power nearly 25% of the workforce will have been lost as a direct result of the Government spending cuts. These cuts are a disaster for our members, for […]
This Conference notes that the Water Bill has moved through its legislative cycle following much delay. UNISON has been totally underwhelmed with the Water Bill and its contents and does not believe that the continued drive to introduce competition is the panacea that is so often claimed. If we take a look at the Energy […]
Germany has recovered from the economic downturn of the past few years faster than most and shown sustainable growth year upon year despite major upheavals and changes such as re-unification. Many economists are convinced this is due to Mitbestimmung or Co-determination law. This law underpinning industrial and company policy in Germany requires that between a […]
Conference notes with massive concern the ongoing savage cuts in public expenditure as a result of the Tory-led coalition government’s dogmatic pursuit of its austerity agenda. These policies have already led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs across the public sector as a whole with estimates that the overall number of public […]
Conference deplores the continuing cuts to local government resulting in mass redundancies and cuts to all Council Services. No Council Service is safe from the threats of cuts in funding. The workforce faces mass redundancies, and for those who retain a job within the employer there is an onslaught of attacks on terms and conditions. […]
Conference deplores the cuts in funding from Central Government to Local Government. As a result of these cuts, groups of Councils are looking to become a combined authority. There is currently one combined authority in Greater Manchester, although by the end of April 2014 there could be another four such combined authorities in England. Such […]
Conference views with alarm the increasing undermining of the employment law framework protecting members across the Service Group. Over half a million workers in local government and schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland alone earn below the Living Wage and many of these are employed on contracts with very few protected rights. We have […]
Conference notes that the Local Government Service Group’s pay consultation procedures were last revised by Conference in 2006. During that time, technological advances have meant that electronic means of voting and consultation are now available. Conference believes that the Service Group’s pay consultation procedures should enable the Service Group: 1)To consult all members in a […]
Conference notes that discussions continue with governments across the UK on responsibility for administration of medicines and medical procedures in educational settings. Employees whose contract includes the administration of medicine and/or health care tasks should receive specific, regular training and be indemnified by their employer against any allegation of negligence, which enables them to feel […]
Conference is alarmed by David Cameron’s statement that Coalition government policy “…means something more profound. It means building a leaner, more efficient state. We need to do more with less. Not just now, but permanently” and by the further cuts to local government planned by George Osborne beyond 2015/16. Conference notes with alarm that: 1)Catastrophic […]
Delete current Rule C 2.4.1 and replace with: “Members dismissed, made redundant, having accepted a compromise agreement or having resigned as an alternative to dismissal from employment within the meaning of C.1 who notify the branch secretary in writing within six months of their loss of employment may achieve unemployed membership for two years from […]
Conference notes in the last three years energy companies have increased their profits by 74%. Last year Npower alone announced a profit of £766 million, yet in the further pursuit of profit Npower announced 1,400 staff would be sacked. Conference further notes: 1)That at the same time a TUC report last year showed that over […]
Conference notes that under the Conservative-led Government, massive cuts have been made in youth and community services. In a survey of UNISON members carried out in 2013, 89% of respondents reported that their local authority had cut services for young people. And according to responses to a Freedom of Information request by UNISON at the […]