Care for the Elderly

Given the increasing numbers of elderly people in the next 35 years who will need residentail and/or nursing care, Conference is dismayed at the apparent complacency of successive Governments to tackle this issue. Polls indicate that 82% support the concept that everyone should pay for this care through general taxation, a policy which UNISON supports. […]

Winter Fuel Allowance

Conference is very concerned that the Coalition Government’s Budget on 21 March 2012 did nothing to help pensioners who are unable to cope with high winter fuel bills. The Winter Fuel Allowance was reduced in March 2011 by £100 (down from £400 to £300) for the over 80’s households and by £50 (down from £250 […]

RETIRED MEMBERS: TECHNOLOGY

It is becoming increasingly apparent that some Unison retired members in Branches and Regions are experiencing difficulties in communicating with colleagues as they are not computer literate or able to afford computers, or their health makes it difficult to use. Therefore, this Unison National Retired Members Conference instructs the National Retired Members Committee and calls […]

Frozen Pensions

FROZEN PENSIONS Conference deplores the government’s “frozen pensions” policy whereby British pensioners who live abroad in certain countries only receive a pension at the rate it was in the year they left the UK. There are around 555,000 “frozen” pensioners around the world, almost half of whom live in Australia. One of the oldest is […]

Government’s New Pension Proposals

Conference notes that it remains the intention of the Government to introduce a new flat rate basic state pension, corresponding to a current figure of £140 per week, in 2016. Whilst the introduction of such a flat rate pension will alleviate the disparity between women’s and men’s pensions in the future, Conference notes that the […]

Retired Members’ Outrage at the Budget and Attacks on Pensions

This conference condemns the Coalition Government’s callous attacks on pensioners and the state pension framed in the March 2012 Budget which discriminate against the elderly and will lead to the increased financial insecurity and pensioner poverty. The basic state pension may be rising by 5.2%, a decision taken prior to the budget, but this is […]

Quality of Retired Life

UNISON Retired Members’ Conference reaffirms its commitment to the eradication of pensioner poverty in Britain. This can happen only if there are good quality final salary occupational pensions in both the private and public sectors and a basic state pension linked to earnings. The Coalition’s attack on pensions is driven by a political determination to […]

Triple Lock

The Office of National Statistics and the Royal Statistical Society are engaged in improving the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in particular the inclusion of owner-occupied housing costs and changes in sampling to reduce the distortions of the ‘Formula Effect’. The CPI is regulated by the EU and is designed to make macro-economic comparisons between member […]

Police and Crime Commissioners

In November 2012 elections will take place to elect Police and Crime Commissioners. These individuals will replace the existing Police Authorities in the counties they represent. So far, little has been publicised about this election process, so few of the electorate, including many of our members are aware of it. Whilst this change will impact […]

Local Government services

Conference is fundamentally opposed to the sustained attack on public services resulting from the savage cuts to local government funding being inflicted over 5 years by the ideologically driven Tory led government. These drastic cuts in spending fail to recognize the need of the country to grow our way out of recession and are devastating […]

The Welfare Bill and attacks on housing benefit

Conference notes that the housing benefit changes outlined in the Westminster government’s Welfare Bill will have a devastating effect on many people, including some UNISON members, throughout the UK. The welfare bill proposals, drafted as part of a drive to reduce welfare costs, will leave many people at risk of being driven into debt, falling […]

Defeating the ConDems – a union strategy

The public sector cuts and job losses are not just a response to the economic conditions facing the country. They are a sustained ideological attack on public services driven by a right wing Tory Party who have pulled their Liberal Democrat collaborators into supporting them in the ConDem Coalition. These cuts are an attempt by […]

LOCALISM ACT – DEFENDING OUR MEMBERS TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Conference notes that the Localism Act 2011 is the flagship legislation in England for the government’s Big Society agenda, aimed at opening up public sector ‘markets’ to private and voluntary organisations and fundamentally redefining the role of local government as a provider of public services. The act purports to be a ‘radical shift of power […]

Opposing the far right

Conference notes the continued threat of the far right and how these extremist groups are exploiting the impact of austerity measures to gain support. In the last year we have seen an increase of attacks on mosques and firebombing of shops owned by minority groups. British Muslims, heavily targeted by the likes of the British […]

Cuts in Further Education

Conference notes with anger and concern the difficulties that Further Education has faced in the last few years and continues to face. There have been cuts across the FE Sector throughout the UK. In Scotland, there is a 30% funding cut over 3 years. There have been over 1000 job losses and many of these […]