Retired Members Conference

This conference supports the good work of the Retired members National committee in organising the National Retired Members conference. We note that over the last few years it was not possible to debate many submitted motions due to time constraints. This conference requests the NEC to work with the National Retired Members committee to investigate […]

Retired members and 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. Therefore, this Unison National Retired Members Conference instructs the National Retired Members Committee and calls on the National Executive Council to: 1)be aware […]

Ageism in a Covid Age

This Retired Members’ Conference recognises that ageism exists, and that ageism is a bias from one age group towards another. It includes the use of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination against people based on their age. Evidence shows ageism is widespread in society and can be found everywhere from our workplaces and health systems to the […]

Surprise, surprise! You will receive 25 whole pence age allowance each week when you reach your 80th birthday!

This age addition increase was introduced in September 1971 by Sir Keith Joseph, a Conservative MP. He said it was to recognise ‘albeit in a small way the special claims of very elderly people who need help rather more than others. As they grow old their possessions wear out and they need help for necessary […]

E-scooters and Older People

Conference is concerned over the increasing use of electric powered motorised 2-wheeled scooters (e-scooters) on roads and pavements throughout the United Kingdom. Conference notes that, although versions of e-scooters first appeared on London streets as long ago as 1916, It is only recently that steps are being taken to have them formally classified as motor […]

Disappointed if you fail, doomed if you don’t try

The past year, particularly for pensioners, has been incredibly difficult. In its report entitled ‘As if expendable’, Amnesty International claims that during the first three months of the pandemic, thousands of pensioners died due to government incompetence. Free TV licences were withdrawn for most of those of 75 plus years, the triple lock protection on […]

Exploit modern communication systems

During the period of the pandemic many of us have grown used to attending meetings, talks and conferences via the internet using such intermediaries as Zoom. Whilst not matching the intimacy and desirability of a head-to-head meeting, they have allowed active if limited participation to continue. For some retired members the ageing process in its […]

PENSIONER POVERTY

Conference notes that many pensioners live in poverty and have a precarious existence. Many pensioners did not have access to an occupational pension and many remain unaware that they can claim pension credit to increase their income. The UK state pension is one of the lowest in the developed world. Women are particularly affected by […]

WOMEN’S PENSIONS UNDERPAYMENT

Conference notes that the Government announced earlier this year that there had been an underpayment of up to £3 billion in total of pensions for some who reached SPA before April 2016 and fall into certain categories. These sums affect thousands of women and some men who were underpaid their state pensions and not all […]

ENSURING THAT THE LIVING STANDARDS OF OLDER PEOPLE ARE NOT THE PRICE PAID FOR THE COST OF THE PANDEMIC

Conference will recall that prior to the covid crisis there had been a series of attacks on older people’s entitlements and standards of living including: 1)The Taxpayers’ Alliance’s report, Pensions Inequality, issued in August 2018 calling for an end to defined benefit pensions for public service workers; the Taxpayers’ Alliance has since called for the […]

THE IMPACT OF SERVICES MOVING ONLINE ON OLDER/ELDERLY PEOPLE

THE IMPACT OF SERVICES MOVING ONLINE ON OLDER/ELDERLY PEOPLE Conference notes the inexorable drift towards services and activities being online which has been markedly accelerated during the covid pandemic and its impact on the older demographic. New analysis from Age UK shows that the pandemic has not in fact produced a sea change in older […]

Access to GP services

This conference notes with concern the findings of the survey carried out in December 2020 by the Birmingham UNISON Retired Members Section, that during the pandemic it has been increasingly difficult to access GP services. As the survey has indicated, there is a major problem with the more vulnerable elderly section of society – where […]

Widowers’ Pensions

Conference notes that – 1)Public service pension schemes pay pensions to widows of male scheme members in respect of contributions since 1972; 2)As a result of a Supreme Court decision in 2017, scheme members’ surviving same – sex spouses and civil partners, irrespective of gender, are now treated the same as widows; but 3)Widowers of […]

Gender Pension Gap

Conference notes that in 2018/19, the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) gender pension gap – the percentage difference in average gross pension income of women pensioners compared to men – stood at 40.3%. Conference also notes this was the second year running the gap had widened. An earlier trend of gradually diminishing pension inequality appears to have […]

For Fair Public Sector Funding And Against a Public Sector Pay Freeze

This Conference notes that during a time of international pandemic, once more local government workers rose to the occasion alongside other key workers in the NHS, care, transport and retail to keep essential services running and to support lockdown policies that were the front line in reducing infections and allowing time for a vaccine to […]