Protecting public services
For increased activities and the necessary resources to widen and link up campaigns to protect all public services. Branches to be encouraged to develop joint campaigns against similar attacks, including privatisation, outsourcing and closures.
Any UNISON funding to parties or organisations that cut services and jobs to be reviewed and, where applicable, ceased.
The NHS and social care provision
Kick private companies out of our NHS! No more privatisation or outsourcing. Scrap PFI contracts and cancel the PFI debts. Future pay claims to be submitted to private companies currently providing NHS services.
Independent/private social care provision should be in public hands and control, through the NHS and local government. Failing, inadequate and blatantly profiteering social care providers should be nationalised.
UNISON to submit pay claims for all social care members on a regular basis, not wait for a ‘bargaining unit’ to appear. No fees for training.
Councils and other local authority provided services
UNISON must demand Labour councils refuse to implement cuts and that Starmer’s government provide emergency funding, including to avert the threat of Section 114 notices, as the first step in recovering the billions stolen from councils since the 2008/9 crash.
UNISON must lead a national fight against further local authority cuts to include industrial and strike action where necessary. For community-based needs budgets.
No more privatisation and outsourcing. UNISON to launch major campaigns to bring jobs and services back in-house to be run directly by councils.
Education
Free, fully funded and democratically run, good-quality education, available to all from nursery through primary and secondary, Further Education and Higher Education to adult education. Abolish university tuition fees and write off student debt, end marketisation, and introduce a living grant.
No to academisation. For all schools to be under the genuine democratic control of local education authorities, school staff, parents and student organisations.
Mass expansion of nursery provision organised under democratic public control free at the point of use with a full variety of well organised provision.
For a complete overhaul of SEND (Special educational needs and disability) provision which has descended into crisis, leaving children and their parents/guardians with no futures and UNISON members providing valuable services unable to cope with demand.
Pay claims to be submitted annually to providers of all education services, including those in private nurseries, schools and organisations specialising in students with learning disabilities and other complex needs.
Pay, jobs and conditions
UNISON to encourage branches and members to fight all cuts to jobs, services and conditions of service including through privatisation, outsourcing and closures.
To develop a comprehensive and flexible strategy to remove low pay wherever UNISON organises. This to include submitting sector-wide or individual pay claims alongside those in the ‘traditional’ national bargaining bodies and areas, ie independent social care, privatised school meals providers.
A £15 an hour minimum wage for all, without exemptions.
UNISON to campaign for all members to have trade union rates of pay, employment protection, and sickness (including increased SSP), parental and holiday rights from day one of employment.
UNISON to include in pay claims, wherever possible and supported by members, a shorter working week with no loss of pay and/or more flexible working hours.
Trade union democracy
UNISON must demand the Labour Government immediately repeal all anti- union legislation.
For genuine members’ control of UNISON, with the election of senior union officials, starting with assistant general secretaries and regional secretaries.
The Socialist Party has a proud record of its members standing for senior trade union official positions declaring they would only take home a worker’s wage, not the inflated salary of the post, if elected. All our members standing for the UNISON general secretary position in the past have committed to this.
UNISON branches must have a genuine right to campaign to change and develop our union policy – let the members decide. Change the emphasis from preventing campaigning by ‘outlawing’ organisations, to participating in them and helping mould genuine fighting policies and programmes.
UNISON branches to receive necessary financial resources to fund organising and recruitment drives and increase workplace representation and participation.
For streamlined processes to prevent unnecessary delays in campaigning and balloting.
Equality, diversity and discrimination in the workplace and society
The Socialist Party stands for united working-class struggle to end discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, disability, sexuality, age, and all other forms of prejudice and oppression.
Trade unions are in a unique position to fight discriminatory attacks at work and society in general through organised, collective action. Unions must work in conjunction with organisations committed to these tasks rather than simply handing over campaigning activities to them.
UNISON must draw up workplace action plans to end institutional racism and discrimination in all our public services, so the whole union can fight bullying and harassment. Oppose the far right with action and policies to fight for jobs, homes and services.
For a mass UNISON campaign researching and tackling the extra struggles faced in the workplace by members with mental health and neurodiverse conditions.
UNISON to launch an organising and recruitment drive aimed specifically at preventing the exploitation of migrant labour – financial and otherwise – by employers and others.
A voice for younger workers
To encourage younger workers to participate in the trade union movement by removing unnecessary restrictions and barriers. This to include UNISON working with student organisations in schools, colleges and universities to unite workers and students in common campaigns.
For genuine young members’ democracy in UNISON including branch- based conferences and committees.
For UNISON to lead a mass campaign for the immediate introduction in the UK of voting rights in all elections at the age of 16.
Fighting climate change
To campaign for the nationalisation of the energy companies, under democratic workers’ control and management, with compensation paid only on the basis of proven need, in order to carry out a major switch to clean, green energy, without any loss of jobs, pay or conditions.
For UNISON to include in all campaigning in the industries and sectors we organise within the need for prioritising major research and investment into replacing fossil fuels and nuclear power with renewable energy.
To campaign for a democratically planned, massively expanded, free to use, publicly owned transport system and a major, publicly funded, insulation and energy transition plan for existing housing stock as part of an overall plan against environmental pollution.
Building international links
UNISON branches to be encouraged to build links with trade union branches internationally, especially in countries and regions with strong local ties – through immigration, sponsorship schemes, student populations etc – in the geographical areas covered by the branch.
For a political voice for the working class
No to cuts, job losses and austerity. UNISON members’ money should only be used to fund political candidates who support our union’s policies. For a new mass workers’ party, based on the trade unions, and drawing together workers, young people and activists from workplaces, and community, environmental, anti-racist and anti-cuts campaigns, to provide a fighting, socialist political alternative to the pro-big business parties.
For socialist policies in UNISON
The wealth of the UK could easily meet the needs of our public services . If that wealth is kept in private ownership our public services will continue to face cuts and closures. We stand for that wealth to be collectively owned and used democratically in a planned way for the benefit of all.
