AMENDMENT TO STANDING ORDER 4

In Standing Order 4.1 delete current wording and replace with: ‘The mover of a motion or an amendment shall speak for not more than five minutes and each succeeding speaker for not more than three minutes, except where the Standing Orders Committee have decided otherwise.’

POWER OF ATTORNEY AND LIVING WILLS

This Conference is aware that due to the statistical increase in the ageing population, many of our retired members who are part of this ageing population may not have in place a procedure to ensure that their personal wishes and affairs are in order. Conference also recognises the distress that results in many circumstances when […]

FIFTY PENCE BROADBAND CHARGE

This Conference condemns the poverty and debt that pensioners are now facing due to the recent economic collapse of the financial system. On top of all the hardship brought about by the combined action and inaction of the Government, many pensioners must now face a financial penalty of fifty pence a month on their telephone […]

FREE SWIMMING FOR THE OVER 60S

Conference welcomes the Government initiative that councils provide free swimming facilities for the over 60s. Conference notes however that not all councils are providing this facility. Conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee to campaign to get all councils to provide this facility.

ELDER ABUSE

Conference notes with concern that there is no specific law which addresses Elder Abuse and makes it an aggravated offence, as is the case with child abuse. Conference therefore instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee, and calls upon the trade union movement, to urge the legal establishment and HM Government to make Elder Abuse an […]

FUTURE CARE IN THE COMMUNITY

This Conference believes Elderly people deserve the best possible care in their latter years. Conference has in the past expressed concern about the level of care in the community, particularly where this service has been outsourced. Some care provision in sheltered accommodation is now provided by contacts on refrigerators to indicate to a central point […]

SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENTS

This Conference calls upon the National Executive Council to use all means at its disposal to abolish discrimination against single persons and in particular older retired persons by hotels and other establishments in charging single room supplements.

SUPPORT FOR MOBILE PHONE (ICE) CAMPAIGN

Conference is aware of the anxiety suffered when a relative or loved one is caught up in an emergency situation particularly the elderly. Anything that can be done to reduce the anxiety and to aid more effective communications has got to be a good thing. In July 2007 Vodafone Netherlands started a national awareness campaign […]

Self Directed Support and Protection of Disabled People and their Employees

This Conference welcomes the introduction of Direct Payments for disabled and older people which has taken place over the past few years, along with the recent pilots of Individual Budgets which increase choice and control for disabled and older people over the services they receive. However, we are concerned that there are insufficient safeguards to […]

Sickness Absence Management

Conference notes with concern that many employers have introduced draconian measures to reduce rates of sickness absence. These measures often seek to diminish the status of GP’s certificates in favour of assessments by company appointed private Occupational Health practitioners. They also attempt to marginalise existing collective agreements of sickness absence and often make no distinction […]

A New Economy Based on Green Energy

Conference recognises that many members employed by Energy Companies are suffering from the effects of the current international financial crisis. Although companies continue to report healthy profits, some have implemented cost savings leading to job losses and plans to invest in new greener energy infrastructure have been subjected to further reviews. Conference believes that both […]

Public Ownership of the Utilities

Conference Notes: i)The economic crisis which has spread rapidly across the globe, forcing thousands of businesses into bankruptcy and millions of workers into unemployment and poverty; ii)The hundreds of billions of pounds of public money which has been spent by governments across the world trying to prop up the world financial system in order to […]

Barriers to Attending LGBT Conference

Conference notes the importance of our union’s conferences, both in their democratic policy making role and also for the way they inform and inspire activists to return, re-energised, to their local union work. Conference notes with regret that only a minority of Energy branches send delegates to the annual UNISON lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender […]

Failing UK Energy Market

Conference reiterates its long held belief that privatisation of energy companies and liberalisation of the energy market have not worked in the long term interests of consumers, the wider community or the employees. An unacceptable number of people are falling into ‘fuel poverty’ as energy bills remain too high and incomes fall. Conference regrets that […]