Call for Southend UNISON members to attend national conferences – accommodation, travel and subsistence costs will be covered!

Announcement graphic reading: "CALL FOR BLACK MEMBERS; DISABLED MEMBERS; LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER MEMBERS; AND WOMEN MEMBERS TO ATTENDED NATIONAL CONFERENCES."

Dear Member,

UNISON holds national conferences each year for our members who identify with a particular self-organised group (SOG). This is one way of organising around equality that helps bring together certain underrepresented groups. These groups are Black members; Disabled members; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender members; and Women members who experience particular types of prejudice and discrimination, issues and concerns. Each SOG has their own annual conference – please see conference dates and venues below.

Southend UNISON is looking to send members as delegates (or visitors) to these conferences and will cover accommodation, travel and subsistence costs.

UNISON recognises that society is not a level playing field and one of UNISON’s main aims is to help workers fight for fairness and equality in the workplace and beyond. Challenging discrimination and winning equality is at the heart of UNISON – these conferences enable branches to submit motions in advance and bring together members from across the country to collectively organise and debate important issues that affect them.

With continued unprecedented funding attacks on the public sector affecting underrepresented groups more than others, as well as a rise in anti-immigration, Islamophobia and racism – organising around equality and challenging discrimination has never been more important.

It is up to us all to fight against these attacks, however these self-organised conferences are an opportunity for delegates to discuss the issues directly facing them by debating motions and their action points that support the right to equality for all. Each conference will decide on motions to be sent to the National Delegate Conference.

Southend UNISON supports delegates to attend to act as a voice for this branch where appropriate, but also to keep this branch informed of the debates and issues raised so that we can collectively look at what we can do more of to improve equality within our workplaces.

If you identify with any of the self-organised groups above and are passionate about furthering the equalities agenda across this UNISON branch workplaces, and would like to be more engaged with the branch around equalities issues or indeed more generally please contact us and let us know which conference you might be interested in attending.

We look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

Claire Wormald
Branch Secretary


Conference Dates and Venues

Disabled Members’ Conference 2018
Dates: 27 – 29 October 2018
Venues: The Brighton Centre, Kings Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 2GR
Conference Preliminary Agenda Report

LGBT+ Conference 2018
Dates: 16 – 18 November 2018
Venues: Harrogate International Centre, King’s Road, Harrogate HG1 5LA
Conference Preliminary Agenda Report

Black Members’ Conference 2019
Dates: 18 – 20 January 2019
Venues: Venue Cymru, The Promenade, Llandudno, Conwy LL30 1BB
Conference Preliminary Agenda Report – Available Soon

Women’s Conference 2019
Dates: 14 – 16 February 2019
Venues: Bournemouth International Centre, Exeter Road, Bournemouth BH2 5BH
Conference Preliminary Agenda Report – Available Soon