HUMAN RIGHTS AND ELDER ABUSE IN CARE HOMES

The human rights now enshrined in legislation should affirm the equal dignity and worth, to which we are all entitled, but the human rights of our sector of society are daily and routinely violated and this needs to be stopped. Elder abuse is a shameful by-product of age discrimination and as such is totally unacceptable. […]

A NATIONWIDE CONCESSIONARY TRAVEL SCHEME

Conference will be aware that the Concessionary Bus Travel Act (CBT) 2007 came into force on 1 April 2008. The Act provides free, off-peak travel (valid between 9.30am-11pm weekdays and at all times on weekends and Bank Holidays) for pensioners and disabled people in England. This has been welcomed by pensioners but there have been […]

FUEL POVERTY

In the March 2008 Budget, Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer, did not totally ignore the plight of pensioners and increased the fuel allowance by £50 to £250, a one-off payment to be paid in the autumn. But the Budget has once again failed to deliver on the eradication of pensioner poverty. Because of rapidly […]

THE CENTENARY OF THE INTRODUCTION OF THE STATE PENSION 1909 TO 2009 – THE NEED TO STILL IMPROVE STATE PENSION PROVISION

Conference notes the work that was undertaken by UNISON to mark the centenary of the May 1908 Old Age Pensions Act. This highlighted the proud role that trade unions played in the struggle to establish the older generation’s right to an adequate income and dignity in their later years. As a result of the Act, […]

MERGED RETIRED MEMBERS’ SECTIONS – CARD VOTES AT RETIRED MEMBERS’ CONFERENCES

This Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to ensure that where merged retired members’ sections exist, administrative arrangements are in place for the inclusion of retired members from all the branches concerned in card votes at retired members’ conferences.

UNISON RETIRED MEMBERSHIP

This conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to: i.Issue publicity material to ensure that retired members and branch secretaries are aware of the existence of UNISON Rule 6.1 whereby a retired member may become a member of the branch based closest to her/his place of residence; ii.Ensure that the necessary transfer documentation is available […]

BRANCH RETIRED MEMBERS SECTION SECRETARY

This Conference believes that the registration of individual retired members and retired member contacts is essential to the running of the National Retired Members Organisation. Conference, however, notes that there is no mention of the post of Branch Retired Members Section Secretary in the list of Branch Officers set out in both the National Rules […]

COMMONWEALTH PENSIONERS

Conference notes that over 520,000 expatriate pensioners living in Commonwealth countries have contributed to a United Kingdom pension which has been arbitrarily frozen at the level it was first received. As a result, their state pension decreases in value in real terms every year. For example, a pensioner who retired in 1999 with a pension […]

PHASING IN OF FULL NATIONAL INSURANCE PENSION

This Conference welcomes the reduction in qualifying years for a full National Insurance Pension to 30 years from April 20th 2010. Conference notes with concern however that the Government has refused to phase in the change and this will result in individuals being significantly disadvantaged. It will also cause unfairness and resentment among those women […]

ELDER ABUSE – MAIL, INTERNET AND OTHER SCAMS

Conference deplores the increasing incidence of mail, internet, phone and other scams aimed specifically at vulnerable elderly people. Tragic tales of elderly people sending off hundreds or thousands of pounds to bogus competitions, lotteries etc on the promise of a large cash prize are all too prevalent, and seem to be on the increase. Conference […]

CAUCUS MEETING AT RETIRED MEMBERS’ CONFERENCE

Conference believes that Retired Members’ Conference should include Caucus Meetings for Black Members, Disabled Members, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Members and Women Members. This would establish parity with all the Conferences of their working counterparts who have had such meetings as part of their timetable virtually since UNISON’s inception in 1993. These meetings provide […]

IMPROVING PROMOTION OF RETIRED MEMBERS’ ISSUES/CAMPAIGNS WITHIN UNISON

Conference whilst accepting UNISON needs to prioritise working members’ issues, regrets the minimal support given to retired members in UNISON publications as well as the failure of some branches to maximise the potential of their retired members. Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee and calls on the National Executive Council to urgently address these […]

CONFERENCE VENUES

Conference notes that the present policy for venues is to have alternating venue in the North and South of the country. Conference considers, however, that this policy means that excellent venues in Central England are being overlooked in places as diverse as Birmingham, Derby, Gloucester, Nottingham and Oxford. Conference believes that venues in Central England […]

CHIROPODY

This conference calls upon the National Retired Members’ Committee and the National Executive Council to make representations to government on behalf of pensioners protesting against a reduction in the chiropody service through the closure of chiropody clinics.

SINGLE SEX WARDS

It has been more than ten years since we were promised that all hospital wards would be ‘single sex’. We are now advised that this will now not be possible and that hospitals will be encouraged to work towards providing ‘single bays’ We recognise that whilst everyone is concerned by this decision we consider that […]