Motion no: 37
Conference recognises and thanks the health trade unions, for the sustained work that ensured we had progress towards safe and effective staffing legislation.
Conference further recognises that this legislation has the potential to strengthen accountability, improve workforce planning, support safer services and give staff a clearer framework for raising concerns about unsafe staffing levels.
However, Conference believes that legislation alone will not deliver safe staffing unless union officials are properly trained to understand what the legislation means, how it should operate in practice, and how it can be used collectively to protect staff and service users.
Conference therefore calls on the NIC ICTU health committee to develop and deliver multi professional accessible training and guidance on the legislation, including how to identify breaches, raise concerns, gather evidence, use reporting mechanisms and hold employers and decision-makers to account.
Conference further calls on the NIC ICTU health committee to monitor implementation across health and social care employers, identify recurring or systematic failures and then co-ordinate an effective trade union response
