Contacting the DWP

Conference deplores the continuing use of 084 nos by many organisations as the only means of contacting them by ‘phone. Despite claims that 0845 are ‘lo-call’ cost, they are rarely as cheap as a local call or indeed a geographic call and are used as a means of raking in extra money. Conference believes that […]

Rolling Out the Elder Abuse Campaign to Branches and Other Regions

This Conference notes that elder abuse is the only form of abuse that is not a Statutary Specific Criminal Offence. There is a “Memorandum of Understanding”, that requires the Courts to take into account the age of the victim when considering punishment. The Greater London Regional Retired Members Committee are campaigning against elder abuse to […]

Supporting the Campaign for Human and Democratic Rights in the Middle East

Conference notes: 1)the movement for social and economic justice and political freedom that have swept across the Middle East and North Africa, following the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt 2)and welcomes the success of the popular movement in Tunisia in bringing to an end the rule of dictatorship in that country; 3)the courage and determination […]

Cuts Are Not the Cure

Conference believes there is an alternative to the ideologically driven economic programme of the Conservative led Coalition government in Westminster. The drastic cuts in spending fail to recognize the need of the country to grow our way out of recession and are devastating communities and forcing a new generation into unemployment whilst hitting the most […]

Our NHS Our Future

Conference condemns the government’s white paper for the NHS in England, “Equity and Excellence – Liberating the NHS”, which amounts to the largest upheaval in the 62-year history of the NHS, and the funding cuts to the NHS that are affecting services across the UK. Conference asserts that the government has no mandate for such […]

Defending Our Pensions

Conference notes that pensions represent the most important condition of employment after pay itself. Pension is deferred pay that enables workers to survive into old age and, hopefully, avoiding poverty. Conference believes that every worker in the UK deserves a decent income on reaching retirement. Public Sector pensions have consistently been under attack from employers […]

Role of Retired Members in UNISON

Conference recognises the different role and contribution of retired members to their working counterparts and accepts that their involvement in UNISON is more limited. However Conference believes that many retired members still have much to offer the union and that their preclusion from almost all aspects of its work is not necessarily in UNISON’s best […]

Retaining Members When They Retire

Conference notes the efforts of many branches and branch retired members’ groups to retain members when they retire but regrets to note the apparent lack of support, co-ordination and reporting to sustain these efforts. Conference believes a haphazard approach may lead to patchy results and may reproduce or exaggerate patterns of inclusion and exclusion among […]

Living Wills & Advance Directives

Conference believes many retired UNISON members would like to make their wishes known concerning their medical treatment and/or their financial or other affairs at the end of their lives in case they become incapable of doing so at the time. Conference believes many of them would be glad if their trades union could signpost them […]

Inclusion

Conference welcomes and endorses that it is among UNISON’s aims to seek to ensure equality of treatment and fair representation for all members and their right to be treated with dignity and respect. UNISON and the former partner unions recognised long ago that this needs more than goodwill and that there must be clear arrangements […]

Education Cuts

Conference is concerned about the increase in tuition fees for all areas of post-16 education. This is not only means for younger people as many retired people make full use of these facilities. Increases in fees apply not only to universities and colleges but to adult education courses and providers such as the workers education […]

NHS Care for the Elderly

Mr Cameron pledged, “We can’t go on like this. I’ll cut the deficit, not the NHS”. The election manifesto stated, “We are the party of the NHS, we back its funding and have visions for its future.” In January 2011 he said “We recognise its special place in our society, so we will not cut […]

Attack on Pensions

Retired Members will have noted with growing concern the government’s attack on both the state and public sector pension schemes. Not only are they constantly attacking the pensions in the media, but they are always doing their best to attack pension funds with statements about the public sector pensions being ‘gold plated’. If this is […]

Dental Inspection Charges

This Conference calls upon the National Retried Members’ Committee to strongly pursue and campaign to make available, for older people, free dental inspections; the same service as is currently available for eye examinations and publicise progress in UNISON publications on a regular basis.

Building Campaign Alliances Against Privatisation, Fragmentation and Cuts in the NHS

This Conference confirms UNISON’s total opposition to the ConDem Coalition’s White Paper – “Liberating the NHS”. If implemented, this would lead to the destruction of the NHS as we know it. The coalition government has no democratic mandate for its attacks on the NHS. It was not in any election manifesto and there has never […]