Post Office Closures and Post Office Card Accounts

Conference notes that Ministers have announced that the Department for Work and Pensions will not extend the contract for the Post Office card account beyond 2010 despite the fact that 2.3 million pensioners use the card as a way of collecting their state pension. When the Government ended the use of pension books in 2003, […]

Pensions White Paper and Restoration of the Link

Conference notes that on May 25th 2006 the Government published a Pensions White Paper setting out how it planned to implement the recommendations of the Turner Report. The White Paper contains some positive proposals intended to increase the value of the state pension in the light of the decline of many occupational pensions and include […]

Retired Members’ Forums

The South East Region Retired Members’ Committee strongly objects to the resolution passed at the National Delegate Conference 2006 apparently down grading retired members’ committees to the status of forums, without consultation with retired members at any level. Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to vigorously seek to regain the original status for retired […]

Standing Order 9 – Reference of Outstanding Items

Delete Standing Order 9.1 and insert new Standing Order 9.1: ‘If, at the end of the Conference, the Final Agenda has not been concluded, outstanding motions and amendments shall be referred to the National Retired Members Committee which shall report to members its decisions on those matters. All such motions and amendments shall be responded […]

Standing Order 4 – Limit of Speeches

Delete Standing Order 4.1 and insert new Standing Order 4.1: ‘The mover of a motion or an amendment shall not be allowed to speak for more than five minutes and each succeeding speaker for not more than three minutes, except where the Standing Orders Committee have decided otherwise.’

WINTER DEATHS

Conference notes that: 1)each winter more than 25,000 older people die from cold-related illnesses; 2)in the last five years more than 130,000 people over 65 have died as a result of the cold; 3)EU countries that experience more severe winters than the UK, such as Finland, Denmark and Austria all have much lower levels of […]

AGE LIMITS – INSURANCES

Age limits imposed by insurance firms are varied and outdated in respect of travel, medical, life and car insurances. It is clear discrimination against older people. Conference calls on the National Executive Council to make representation through the appropriate channels to remedy this unfair state of discrimination.

Annual State Pension Increase

Conference supports the view that to use the information needed to set the increase in state pension in the month of March that year preceding the April announcement would be much fairer because it would take into account any recent increases in costs, rather than using September the previous year. Conference calls upon the National […]

COUNCIL TAX BENEFITS

Conference notes that over recent years many older people have been facing large increases in their Council Tax bills. However, up to two million pensioners are missing out on Council Tax Benefit which could cut their bill by £540 a year. Council Tax Benefit is the most unclaimed benefit of all – with pensioners losing […]

FREE TRAVEL

Conference congratulates those Public Transport Authorities who have joined together in partnership to provide free bus travel to those over 60 across and throughout their neighbouring boundaries. However, Conference deplores the fact that some authorities have less favourable schemes and continue to charge those over 60 the former concessionary fares for certain stages of a […]

CARE OF THE ELDERLY

Conference calls upon the National Executive Council to campaign for improvement in the monitoring of the quality of care for the elderly, disabled and chronically sick delivered by all providers. The malnutrition and abuse of the elderly must be eradicated, and the valuable work done by carers recognised. Conference also calls for the re-affirmation of […]

RESIDENTIAL AND NURSING HOME FEES/CONTRIBUTIONS

Conference condemns the continuing uncertainty for and inequitable treatment of elderly, disabled or chronically sick persons taking up or residing in a nursing or residential home. This is because of the independent powers vested in local authorities to determine the extent to which the applicant and/or their family is required to contribute to the costs […]

Craftworkers

This Service Group Conference notes:- 1)That there are currently some 8,500 Craft members in our union 2)That UNISON does not have a place on the JNC or Scottish Joint Council for Craft Workers 3)That on a national basis, effective representation of UNISON members via negotiating bodies does not exist 4)That Craft members are not covered […]

Nursery Nurses Pay

Under 1) add at the end: “in England and Wales”. Add new 2): “2) Welcomes the pay increases that nursery nurses achieved across Scotland and the Scottish Executive’s national review of the Early Years and childcare workforce due to be released for consultation.” Add new 3) 3) Notes the research evidence Nursery Nurses in Scotland […]

Underfunding of Social Care Services for Adults

Conference deplores the gross underfunding of care services for adults in all parts of the UK and recognises that those for the elderly and adults with disabilities are particularly threatened. Conference expresses its deep concern on the effect that this underfunding is having on the jobs and working conditions of our members working in these […]