- Conference
- 2022 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 23 June 2022
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that during the pandemic many organisations moved to introduce card only transactions in an effort to reduce the circulation of cash and therefore the risk of infection.
Conference further notes that this practice is becoming more widespread which has the potential to cause serious difficulties for older people on limited incomes. Many older people use cash as a way of controlling their budget and find the use of cards reduces their ability to do this.
Conference therefore resolves to instruct the National Retired Members’ Committee to:
a) Work towards ensuring that this matter is raised in all of the forums in which we are represented with a view to pressurising the government to act against this practice.
b) Work within those forums to seek to ensure that the government, against a background of rapidly vanishing bank branches and cash points, honours its pledge contained within the Budget of March 2020 to bring forward legislation to protect access to cash.
c) Advise Branch Retired Members Committees to campaign for access to and universal use of cash, involving local councils and MPs in the process and
d) Publicise our efforts in national outlets and to advise Branches to engage the local media in this process.