- Conference
- 2009 Retired Members' Conference
- Date
- 10 June 2009
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes with concern that despite UNISON’s support for Composite 6 on the state pension and restoring the link to earnings for increases carried at the 2006 TUC Conference, nothing tangible has taken place to improve the lot of today’s pensioners.
According to a recent independent report on ‘Households below average income level’, more than 300,000 pensioners have fallen below the official poverty level bringing the total to 2.5 million.
With the state pension at £95.25 per week for single pensioners and the official poverty level now at £165 (according to the National Pensioners’ Convention March 2009 statistics), it is obvious that many more will fall below the poverty level and will have difficulty in surviving. Future pensioners will be even worse off.
Conference therefore instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee and calls on the National
Executive Council:
i.To re-affirm support for Composite 6 and to strongly urge the TUC to take more urgent and stronger action in pressing the Government to raise the state pension immediately to at least the poverty level of £165 per week for a single pensioner and to link increases to average earnings or the RPI whichever is the greater;
ii.Report progress in Interactive to all retired members with special bulletins for Regional Retired Members’ Committees in February, April and July 2010.