Stephen Brown, Chair of the Community SGE, moved the impressive annual report of the new service group. Stephen said that Community members were no longer the poor relation in UNISON but with 60,000 members the third largest service group after local government and health. Remarkable progress had been made setting up the new service group structures across the UK.
UNISON members in community work in disparate organisations but issues such as funding, pay, pensions and violence at work are common to all. The Con Dem cuts will hit the Community sector hard. Con Dem talk of civic society and the big society ring hollow to members providing essential services who are under attack from cuts
Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, addressed the conference and praised members in Notting Hill Housing Trust, Radian Group and Choice Support as examples of Community members fighting back against attacks on terms and conditions. Our generation of public service workers face an attack unseen by earlier post war generations and UNISON will support the development of a broad movement not just to oppose the cuts but to build a better future and a fairer society Dave pledged. He urged delegates to mobilise for the national demonstration on 26 March next year where UNISON members will be ‘marching in our thousands’ and then ‘voting in our millions’ in the May elections.
As well as adopting a new service group structure, delegates debated issues such the Independent Safeguarding authority, TUPE, volunteering, pensions, personalisation, facility time, LGBT equality and the threat to social housing.