- Conference
- 2022 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 23 June 2022
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference is concerned that over at least the last 5 there has been regressive changes to the state and other pension provision and to benefits older people are entitled to, including 165,606 UNISON retired members
Just now more than 12 million older people in receipt of the State Pension are worse off after the Government suspended the triple lock at the same time as inflation has reached a 40-year high. (The UK State Pension is one of the lowest in the developing world.)
The state pension was increased by 3.1% this year when wage growth was 8.1%. Inflation, now 9%, is heading towards 10% and beyond. There is no clear Government policy to address this so it is probable that this situation will continue or worsen.
The current increase in State Pension is approximately £295 per year. Energy costs alone rose an average by £693 this year. Lane, Clark & Peacock, a consultancy firm, estimates pensioners will need an extra £2,400 this year to cover all rising costs, energy, food and household expenditure.
Pension credit is only increased by average earnings and the Winter Fuel Allowance has been £200 per household since 1999. The payments that the Chancellor will provide this year will help more older people this year but these are expected to be one off payments. The maximum payment an older person with disabilities can get, £1,500, is still far short of the expected extra cost of £2,400. Most older peoples’ households can expect to receive £700 only.
The risk of excess ill health and deaths in the coming winter due to older people having insufficient money to provide an adequate level of heat is very real.
The increased pressure on public spending impacts on the services available to older people:
• on support services such as social care, podiatry and health monitoring;
• other services that support socialisation and activity in later life, and
• cuts to other general services such as libraries and public transport will particularly impact and isolate older people who rely on such services.
Conference calls upon the National Retired Members Committee to campaign, and:
1)Urgently raise these issues with the NEC, Labour Link and the Trades Union Council.
2)To work with NEC, Labour Link and the Trades Union Council, STUC, Welsh and Irish TUCs to develop a campaign to highlight older peoples’ poverty and its effects, and to pursue a policy of raising with the Government the need to raise the level of State Pension in the UK.
3)To work with the NEC, Labour Link and the Trades Union Council, STUC, Welsh and Irish TUCs to campaign to have the Winter Fuel Allowance increased and to have it updated annually as the State Pension is.
4)To work with the NEC, Labour Link and the Trades Union Council, STUC, Welsh and Irish TUCs to campaign to have the Pension Credit updated annually using the triple lock criteria used to update the State Pension.