TV Licences

Conference is totally opposed to the present situation in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals where pensioners, those persons over 60, are required to pay a daily subscription to enjoy television whilst a patient in a NHS hospital. We are aware that all patients have to subscribe but this is totally unfair to pensioners on fixed […]

The National Pensioners Convention

Conference regrets that: 1)Lord Turner and the Pensions Commission have made no recommendations to improve the basic state pension until 2010: 2)the Government White Paper has no plans to increase immediately the basic state pension which represents at least half of many pensioners’ weekly income. Conference believes that improving the basic state pension and paying […]

AGEISM

Conference welcomes the introduction of Age Regulations which will outlaw age discrimination in employment and training from October 2006. Although it may be possible to outlaw age discrimination in the work place, changing the culture of ageism will be much harder. Older people continue to have to accept differences in treatment on the grounds of […]

Women’s Pensions

Conference notes that the current pension system was designed in the 1940’s and cast women as dependents. This means that subsequent generations of women have lost out because of unequal pay, part-time working, and caring responsibilities giving them lower incomes over their lifetime and for too many, poverty in old age. The plight of women […]

FUNDING TO BE FAIR AND EQUITABLE

The terms ‘Equalities’ and ‘Fair and Equitable Treatment’ are those upon which UNISON is based. However, when stated in conjunction with the various Retired Members sections at both regional and branch level, do not always apply. There appears to be a wide variation in financial and other support. It seems that some sections are able […]

National Pensioners’ Charter

Conference agrees that after 25 years of campaigning and consulting with pensioners across the United Kingdom (UK) that the National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) National Pensioners’ Charter with its 11 Draft Bills of Rights is more than a fair reflection of what UK pensioners need. Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to give their support […]

TUC Retired Members’ Forum

Conference calls on the National Retired Members’ Committee to: 1) encourage UNISON Regional Retired Members’ Committees to appoint their full entitlement of delegates to their appropriate TUC Retired Members’ Forum; 2) facilitate the exchange of information between UNISON Regional Retired Members’ Committees to assist in developing a coordinated approach to this area of work. The […]

Driving Tests for Those Over 75 Years of Age

Conference deplores the proposal to introduce a compulsory driving test for those persons over the age of 75. The implementation of any form of driving test without discussion and consultation with affected parties and without the production of evidence to support the need is discrimination against the older driver. Conference therefore strongly requests the National […]

Communications to Retired Members 2006

Conference recognises the importance of effective communications in informing all retired members of information which affect their interests. These include matters in which the National Retired Members’ Committee is engaged on our behalf, in order that appropriate and timely advice may be given and support for policy generated. Equally, the views and concerns of members […]

Free Travel Pass

The Government included in the 2005 Budget, the introduction of free local bus travel for pensioners in April 2006. The implementation has been costly and complicated. In some towns, for example Southampton, free bus travel is limited to within a city boundary, with two exceptions, one to a hospital, the other to a supermarket, both […]

Disability Equality within the Water Industry

We welcome the changes to legislation passed in April 2005 and coming into force December 2006. This will impose a new disability equality duty on public bodies. However we are concerned that the water industry may not be covered by the new duties. We believe these new duties could contribute towards a barrier-free society and […]

Wheechair Access to Water Coolers

Conference welcomes the decision of the Water and Environment Service Group Executive to launch the Water@Work campaign as part of the wider Water for Health Alliance in liaison with Water UK, WaterAid, and various water companies. Conference recognises that the health benefits of drinking water regularly are incontrovertible and that well hydrated workers have been […]

Health and Safety Reps Seminar

The Service Groups covered by the Business and Environment Unit held a successful Seminar of Health & Safety Reps at National level in the early part of this decade. Many Health and Safety related legislative changes that affect members in the Water & Environment Service Group have occurred since this time and this Water & […]

Concessionary Fares Schemes

Conference whilst welcoming the proposal to introduce a long awaited UK-wide concessionary bus fares scheme effective from April 2008 announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Speech, in line with Unison policy, it deplores this delay to include England as existing national schemes already exist in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The […]

Sickness Absence

Conference notes: 1.that employers are adopting increasingly draconian procedures which allow for an increase in the disciplining and dismissal of genuinely ill employees; 2.that it is often the case that the same employers are failing to abide by health and safety procedures or the Disability Discrimination Act; 3.that one of the single largest causes of […]