- Conference
- 2024 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 11 June 2024
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that, to develop our union, we need new and active members to participate and lead our organisation. This is essential at a time of struggle from 14 years of Tory government austerity which has destroyed community support, rights and the voice of retired people. This development can only happen if it is supported by the delivery of a national training programme to support retired members organisation in UNISON.
A survey by the East Midlands Regional Retired Members Committee has identified a number of obstacles, including the absence of any UNISON training programme for Regional and Branch Retired Committee members. Regional groups are doing their bit by developing Work Plans to include training and development activities for Branch Retired members organisation. Our survey identified a number of needs such as: Guidance on how to establish a local Retired Members Group, How to implement good practice on Networking including how to use Social Media, Communicating with members and Developing skills and abilities to wage affective campaigns that are important to retired members.
To give Branch Retired Member Secretaries the tools to establish active branch groups, run campaigns and improve the lives of older people in communities as a part of achieving UNISON objectives, Conference calls for:
1) The National Retired Members Committee to design and trial, in conjunction with Regional Groups, a revised training course aimed at supporting Branch Retired Members Secretaries into their role, preferably utilising a learning and organisational model with two trial training dates in place before the next Retired Members Conference in 2025;
2. To produce new Branch Guidance on how to develop retired members campaigns, incorporating community campaign skills and use of social media, to ensure Retired Members’ needs do not become lost in busy branches already fighting to preserve jobs and services;
3. That the NRMC commences to publish annual statistics to this Conference each year of which Regions have run the core training and numbers attending; and publish retired membership stats so we can see if growth in retaining members into Retired Membership is being achieved.