Conference is concerned that over at least the last 5 there has been regressive changes to the state and other pension provision and to benefits older people are entitled to, including 165,606 UNISON retired members Just now more than 12 million older people in receipt of the State Pension are worse off after the Government […]
Conference motions
Conference notes that the Government is still considering raising the age of free prescriptions in England from 60 to 66, in line with the increasing State Pension age. The changes would mean that as many as 2.4 million people aged 60 to 65 would have to start paying for antibiotics, illness treatments and more at […]
Conference notes that in 2022 energy giants Shell and BP made a combined profit of £40 billion while at the same time around 1 million older households were experiencing fuel poverty. It is estimated that rising fuel prices will push an extra 150,000 older households into fuel poverty by the coming winter. Conference further notes […]
Conference notes that data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing shows that many of the over-50 population were unable to access health care services during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in England. A sixth of older people reported having hospital treatment cancelled, with an additional one in ten unable to visit or […]
The number of people who can remember what health provision was like for ordinary working people before Aneurin Bevan created the National Health Service diminishes year by year. His vision of free medical treatment for everyone “from the cradle to the grave” is as powerful now as it was in 1948. Obviously as time has […]
Pensioners are people who have served the country as employees, parents, volunteers and carers throughout their working lives and many continue to do so in retirement. Most do not have an organised way to press for justice in retirement although some are fortunate to be retired members of organisations such as Unison. On retirement they […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Conference notes with concern the growing number of winter deaths year by year as a result of cold related illnesses in England and Wales. An estimated 50,100 older people died in England and Wales between December 2017 and March 2018. This equates to 417 deaths a day or 17 deaths an hour which was the […]
Conference supports the view expressed by previous motions that a revised UNISON Charter for Older People could be a valuable resource to promote the UNISON Retired Members’ Organisation, help retain members when they retire, involve and activate retired members and showcase UNISON and trade unionism among older people. Conference notes that there is much existing […]