Conference notes with concern the resounding victory of Donald Trump in the United States Presidential Election. This decision will have global repercussions. His first term, according to Amnesty International, was ‘marked by bigotry, xenophobia and white supremacist rhetoric, and led to extensive human rights violations’. The lives of young women, Black, LGBT+ and disabled people […]
Conference motions
Whilst UNISON is generally supportive of the Labour Government, this Conference notes its shock decision that only those in receipt of Pension Credit and other means-tested benefits will qualify for the Winter Fuel Allowance. It is estimated that 10 million pensioners in England alone will lose their right to this annual payment from this autumn […]
This Conference notes with dismay this Government’s decision to postpone the Social Care Cost Cap, due to be introduced in October 2025, despite its manifesto commitments towards social care. This would have set a cap on personal care costs of £86,000 but no funding had been allocated. The huge cost of social care for many […]
This UNISON Retired Members Conference expresses its concern at the announcement at the end of July 2024, by the Labour Government, that those State Pensioners not entitled to Benefits will no longer get the Winter Fuel Allowance. Many State Pensioners who are members of UNISON, particularly those that gave a lifetime working in low paid […]
This Conference is aware of the need to communicate effectively and regularly with retired members. Unlike most working colleagues retired members do not have a workplace or an administrative base at which they can be reached. Retired members live at home. They rely on the Royal Mail or on email for their information from UNISON. […]
A recent study by Age UK showed that a total of 2.7 million people aged 65 and over do not use the internet, equivalent to around one in five (22%) of this age group. This group of people are becoming left behind and excluded from an increasingly digital world. From this point of view, a […]
Conference notes with concern the critical situation facing hospitals, with mounting delays in patient discharges causing a domino effect on the entire healthcare system. This alarming trend impacts hospital admissions, ambulance response times, and ultimately, patient well-being. It is also an issue which particularly affects older people, who are more likely to need extra support […]
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 […]
1)This Conference notes that in the Unison U magazine, issue 33 of summer 2024, there are two articles concerned with care. The first is an interview with Wes Streeting, who would become the minister responsible for Care and the NHS in the event of a Labour government. The second talks to carers about their roles […]
“This Conference notes the decline in available public toilets, which according to a survey undertaken by the Royal Society for Public Health in 2019, means that three in every four people in the UK reported a lack of public toilets in their area. This matter has a particular impact on older people as well as […]
This Conference welcomes the Ombudsman’s Report into the impact of the arbitrary change in state pension age and its effect on women born after 6 April 1950. We note the level of compensation recommended by the Ombudsman and while recognising that this does not meet the expectations of many WASPI women it is nevertheless a […]
This Conference notes Over the next few years, landline telephone services in the UK will switch to a fully digital network. The existing network, called the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), will be withdrawn. The PSTN is an aging network that is becoming harder and more expensive to maintain. Calls will be carried over the […]
From the results of the Survey of Unison Members and non Members between June and July 2012 Unison developed the Ethical Care Charter. Its aim is to encourage local authorities to improve provision in the care sector. The way in which care homes were treated during the recent pandemic shows how little they are valued […]
Conference notes that, as UNISON rules stand, each Regional Retired Members Committee (RRMC) is entitled to send one representative to National Delegate Conference but may not elect two members to share the delegation. Conference would like RRMCs to be entitled to elect two sharers. It therefore supports an amendment to rule along the following lines: […]
Conference notes that some banks, not content with closing down branches and reducing physical access to banking, are now unilaterally informing customers that their accounts have moved “on line” and that they will no longer receive statements by post. This policy discriminates particularly against older people who either cannot afford to have internet access or […]