All the union news that's fit to blog...
#undc15 UNISON vowed to defend quality public services and the public sector workers, to defend trade union rights and to encourage a fair, inclusive and tolerant society, drawing together a cohesive political strategy in response to the Tories’ immediate onslaught and escalation of attacks on public services and society itself.
Moving an emergency motion on Friday, Jane Carolan, NEC, saidRead more…
UNISON will put equalities at the heart of its bargaining agenda and will campaign with the TUC and through Labour Link for facility time for equality reps. Conference recognised that austerity has rolled back equality successes and significantly increased workplace inequality.
Supporting the motion on Friday on behalf of the NEC, Scotland’s Davena Rankin said, “Maya Angelou once said: ‘It isRead more…
#unDC15 There is a massive housing crisis across the UK as a result of Government policies. Too little social housing is being built and apart from Scotland, those that are built are being sold off. In many places rents are unaffordable and the bedroom tax has created more poverty and homelessness.
Delegates backed a call for government and Labour councils to stop implementing the bedroom tax;Read more…
#uNDC15 Conference rose to applaud sacked SECC UNISON rep Robert O’Donnell as he was invited to address Conference. Another emotional standing ovation followed.
Conference then unanimously passed a motion calling for Glasgow City Council leadership to urgently meet with UNISON Glasgow City Branch officials to pro-actively discuss the situation at the SECC with a view to granting SECC fullRead more…
#uNDC15 Thanks to Scotland delegates who have raised £391 towards rebuilding health services in KobaneRead more…
#uNDC15 Conference showed just why social work and social care workers need UNISON as it backed a range
Kate Ramsden:
Social Workers’ contempt conviction overturned
of measures demanding safe staffing levels. The union will call on all the UK governments to review staff numbers and introduce regulations to force employers to report staff levels and vacancies annually.
It also raisedRead more…
#uNDC15 Thanks to the stewards who have been scanning us in and out all week, and a special thanks to the self proclaimed ‘Golden Girls’, Scotland’s own Barbara Fulton and Margaret Ferris.Read more…
#uNDC15 UNISON will up its fight for to keep public services public – publicly owned, democratically accountable and delivered by the public sector, busting the austerity myth and continuing to challenge outsourcing and privatisation.
Jane Carolan, NEC, explained that UNISON had put forward a vision of public services in its manifesto, asking politicians of all parties to support the policies. "Read more…
#uNDC15 The fast moving debate around devolution across the UK was high on the Conference agenda this year, with two motions and a lunchtime fringe.
Over 200 delegates packed the joint region fringe meeting on the topic on Wednesday, which looked at the different models for public services in the devolved administrations and the proposed city partnerships in England, and the implications forRead more…
#uNDC15 UNISON reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian people and for a free Palestinian state and will step up our contribution to the campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).
This comes on the back of Israel’s terrible assault on Gaza last summer and delegates condemned the lack of meaningful response by the British Government, the EU and the UN to the targeting of civiliansRead more…
#uNDC15 UNISON vowed to put pressure on UK, Indian and US governments to get justice for Bhopal, and to get the Indian Government to ensure adequate healthcare, employment opportunities and pensions for those affected.
It’s thirty years on from Bhopal, the Union Carbide industrial disaster, that caused 25,000 deaths and left 120,000 chronically ill. Thirty years on and it continues to maimRead more…
#uNDC15 Activism is at the very heart of our union and as we face the threats from a vicious and vindictive Tory Government it has never been more important to organise ensure our representatives are confident and skilled.
Conference responded to this challenge by setting out a wide ranging strategy to train, develop and support activists.
Moving the motion on behalf of the National ExecutiveRead more…
#uNDC15 UNISON will campaign to educate and improve understanding of violence against women as a gendered issue, providing guidance, sharing good practice and ensuring branches can represent all parties fairly and impartially.
Helen Duddy, Lanarkshire Health, said "It is devastating to hear in news reports almost daily about women being assaulted, beaten, raped and murdered. On average twoRead more…
#uNDC15 As our pay has declined, the rich simply get richer and richer. So UNISON will look to build support for progressive taxation systems, getting the message across that increasing pay will promote a healthier economy, and campaigning to change the neo-liberal policies that have been evident in not only Tory Governments but Labour ones too – policies that see the suppression of pay, theRead more…
#uLDC15 Delegates backed a call from Northern Region for a range of supports to enable branches to campaign for in-house services and to keep the National Joint Council as the negotiating body for local government members’ pay, terms and conditions.
#uLGC15 Although Scottish delegates were not able to vote, East Dumbartonshire’s Tommy Robertson supported the motion but asked delegates “not toRead more…
#ulgc15 Scotland’s Carol Ball, Vice Chair of the Local Government Service Group Executive, called for support staff in schools to be properly recognised for their contribution to the wider education team, as delegates backed a campaign to reduce school support staff workloads alongside a campaign for increased funding and decent pay.
Carol said that a UNISON survey has shown that 80% of schoolRead more…
#uNDC15 Conference delegates backed a range of measures to combat the rise of vulnerable employment and casualisation across the UK and to restore decent jobs, decent pay and decent standards in the public, voluntary and private sector.
Scotland’s amendment highlighted the Working Together Review in Scotland which has led to the establishment of the Fair Work Convention – a stakeholder bodyRead more…
#uNDC15 As conference condemned the growing inequality in this country and backed a national and international political campaign to rebalance the economy to deliver a fair distribution of wealth, Aberdeenshire’s Kate Ramsden issued a challenge to all delegates, calling on them to get the message out to our members that austerity is not just bad for our members and the services we provide, but isRead more…
#ulgc15 Delegates slammed attacks on the trade union facility time and called on the union to support our members with training, finance and other resources to fight these attacks but also to organise to increase our activist base.
Moving the motion for the Service Group Executive, Western Isles Alison MacCorquodale delivered an excellent maiden speech and told delegates that securing andRead more…
#ulgc15 Local Government Conference heard the problems of challenging behaviour in schools from the front line as two Scotland delegates brought their experience to the debate.
Glasgow City’s Sylvia Haughney, a support for learning instructor for 34 years, told delegates: “Staff in mainstream school may find it hard to understand that when an ASN colleague has been slapped six times during theRead more…