Category: long covid

Delegates support calls on wellbeing and health and safety

Delegates to UNISON’s health conference debated a series of motions under the collective heading of health, safety and wellbeing, on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

“Let’s commit to fostering a workplace where every woman feels valued,” said Susan Parkinson (pictured above).

Moving a motion on women’s mental health at work for the national women’s committee, she explained that women experience higher levels of mental health problems than men.

Karen Buckley from Greater Manchester stated that 76% of the NHS staff are women. Alongside the fact that the majority of carers – paid and unpaid – are also women, and that low pay, the cost of living crisis and discrimination particularly affect women, it is little surprise that, as inequality has worsened, so mental health issues for women have increased.

“Most of all,” continued Ms Buckley, “we need social justice.”

Angie from the Homerton Hospital branch raised the issue of how being a Black women can intensify mental health problems, while a delegate from Northern Ireland, called out, to applause: “Stuff the stigma [around mental health]! Get the support from the people around you!”

Several delegates spoke movingly of their own experiences, as conference called on the service group executive to “work with the national women’s committee to campaign for mentally healthy workplaces where women can thrive”, and to “promote UNISON’s guide to bargaining on mental health to woman members working in the health sector, branch and regional women’s officers and self-organised groups”.

Brenda, moving a motion for the North West, pointed out that helping members deal with mental health issues “isn’t covered in the organising stewards’ course”. Delegates agreed that the executive should “encourage regions to provide training and guidance on signposting to help stewards support members who may be facing challenges with poor mental health.”

Delegates also backed motions calling for:

  • improved mental health access within the NHS
  • improved gender identity services and trans healthcare, as underfunding has turned the issue into a health and safety issue for NHS members
  • Long COVID to be recognised as a disability
  • the service group to encourage NHS organisations and outsourced providers of NHS services to sign up to the Sexual Safety Charter and support branches to work for full implementation of the charter.

A busy afternoon

Emma Dale addressing UNISON's health service group conference

On a busy Tuesday afternoon, delegates also discussed the issue of safe staffing within the health service – noting that this also has health and safety, and wellbeing considerations.

Moving the motion, Martin Mackay from Scotland said that, while the Health and Social Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019, which has just come in to force, is welcome, it still does not include “all staff in our One Team”.

Emma Dale (pictured above) from South Wales gave an example of how not all NHS staff are covered. “I worked in forensic mental health,” she explained, so wasn’t covered. After an incident with a violent patient, she had to move from a job she loved into an admin post.

The article Delegates support calls on wellbeing and health and safety first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Delegates support calls on wellbeing and health and safety

Delegates to UNISON’s health conference debated a series of motions under the collective heading of health, safety and wellbeing, on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

“Let’s commit to fostering a workplace where every woman feels valued,” said Susan Parkinson (pictured above).

Moving a motion on women’s mental health at work for the national women’s committee, she explained that women experience higher levels of mental health problems than men.

Karen Buckley from Greater Manchester stated that 76% of the NHS staff are women. Alongside the fact that the majority of carers – paid and unpaid – are also women, and that low pay, the cost of living crisis and discrimination particularly affect women, it is little surprise that, as inequality has worsened, so mental health issues for women have increased.

“Most of all,” continued Ms Buckley, “we need social justice.”

Angie from the Homerton Hospital branch raised the issue of how being a Black women can intensify mental health problems, while a delegate from Northern Ireland, called out, to applause: “Stuff the stigma [around mental health]! Get the support from the people around you!”

Several delegates spoke movingly of their own experiences, as conference called on the service group executive to “work with the national women’s committee to campaign for mentally healthy workplaces where women can thrive”, and to “promote UNISON’s guide to bargaining on mental health to woman members working in the health sector, branch and regional women’s officers and self-organised groups”.

Brenda, moving a motion for the North West, pointed out that helping members deal with mental health issues “isn’t covered in the organising stewards’ course”. Delegates agreed that the executive should “encourage regions to provide training and guidance on signposting to help stewards support members who may be facing challenges with poor mental health.”

Delegates also backed motions calling for:

  • improved mental health access within the NHS
  • improved gender identity services and trans healthcare, as underfunding has turned the issue into a health and safety issue for NHS members
  • Long COVID to be recognised as a disability
  • the service group to encourage NHS organisations and outsourced providers of NHS services to sign up to the Sexual Safety Charter and support branches to work for full implementation of the charter.

A busy afternoon

Emma Dale addressing UNISON's health service group conference

On a busy Tuesday afternoon, delegates also discussed the issue of safe staffing within the health service – noting that this also has health and safety, and wellbeing considerations.

Moving the motion, Martin Mackay from Scotland said that, while the Health and Social Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019, which has just come in to force, is welcome, it still does not include “all staff in our One Team”.

Emma Dale (pictured above) from South Wales gave an example of how not all NHS staff are covered. “I worked in forensic mental health,” she explained, so wasn’t covered. After an incident with a violent patient, she had to move from a job she loved into an admin post.

The article Delegates support calls on wellbeing and health and safety first appeared on the UNISON National site.

‘We must be united for battles ahead,’ says UNISON president

Addressing delegates at UNISON’s national disabled members’ conference in Brighton this morning, the union’s president, Andrea Egan (pictured above), told them: “We face unprecedented times – and we must emerge united for the real battles that lie ahead”.

Congratulating delegates on their work in the Year of Disabled Workers, she noted that activists had trained 100 new disabled officers for the union, which she called “a fantastic achievement.”

And that was not all: “Your work on the Disability Employment Charter has been inspirational”, said Ms Egan, “and an inspiration for the union’s forthcoming Year of Black Workers.”

Unity was a thread that ran throughout her speech.

“We must be united,” she noted, as the Conservative government plans yet another period of austerity. “The Tories will do what they do best – cuts, cuts and more cuts”.

Hospitals are worried about paying for energy, schools wondering if they can keep the lights on, while the response to the cost-of-living crisis from this “government for the 1%” is “ineffective at best and deplorably negligent at worst”.

The president spoke of the EU Retained Law Bill – a “bonfire of employment rights [that] seeks to deregulate employment rights” – and outlined some of the rights that could be lost.

“UNISON is fighting this government on this bill, as we are on other grounds,” she said, and reiterated: “When we work together, we’re stronger.”

Citing UNISON victories – and not least the recent win for staff in Lancashire and Cumbria working for the NHS but employed by OCS – she observed that the whole union, from general secretary Christina McAnea to staff and activists, is working to create ways to take on employers.

“Poverty is a choice of the powerful,” she said. “As a union, we must be on the side of the worker who is unable to pay their bills.”

UNISON disabled members conference – platform seen from the left, with signer in sight

In the final debates of this year’s conference, Christine Jackson from the Northern region moved a motion on the importance of public transport for disabled people.

However, there is a considerable way to go. As an example, she cited the Tyne and Wear Metro, which has 60 stations, but only 10 of them have Access for All.

Access for All provides an obstacle free, accessible route from the station entrance to the platform.

Another delegate noted the discrimination against disabled people on planes, together with the general lack of support on public transport. “The only way I can travel is with my support”, she said.

Conference also supported a motion from the Black members’ caucus, which highlighted the impact of long COVID on Black members, who were finding it particularly difficult to get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) payments – even though the courts have judged long COVID to be a disability.

Rose Gale from Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust, said: “My employers are penalising people with long COVID, which is not universally recognised. Following the usual triggers [on sickness levels] is not appropriate”.

Delegates backed a motion calling for implementation of the BSL (British Sign Language) Act, with Howard Beck telling conference: “British Sign Language was recognised as a language 19 years ago. More work needs to be done. Interpreters go through roughly seven years of training. It’s a significant amount of time and commitment”.

He explained that there are many spoken language agencies popping up and claiming to be able to teach BSL – profiteering from it without knowing about it or the culture around it – and having a negative impact on provision for Deaf users.

Supporting the motion, Katrina Gilman said that her job included hiring sign language interpreters “and it’s very difficult. We need to hold our employers accountable to make sure BSL users have access to services”.

Delegates also backed motions on women’s health, breaking down barriers to employment and trans ally training.

The article ‘We must be united for battles ahead,’ says UNISON president first appeared on the UNISON National site.