Ill Health Retirement Qualifications

Back to all Motions

Conference
2002 National Delegate Conference
Date
21 February 2002
Decision
Carried

Recent legislation has caused adverse changes in the ill health retirement scheme for members of UNISON.

The criteria has changed to include permanently incapable until at the earliest the members’ 65th birthday.

It would appear that those doctors who meet the new stringent qualifications required by the Government are expected to foresee the future for our members until they reach the age of 65.

Some of our members have been diagnosed as terminally ill in their 30s and 40s. Others have hospital consultants’ reports specifying their health will never improve enough to enable them to resume work.

This Conference calls on UNISON to lobby MPs and MSPs on this issue to stop the increasing number of our members ending up in limbo, namely still employed by the authority but because they are still on sick leave, after a year they are on nil salary.

This ruling is placing members under severe hardship and the matter needs to be addressed urgently for the benefit of members.