National Self-Organised Group Conferences – Representatives of Relevant Retired Members

Conference notes that, since Rule D7.8 was amended in 2014, the National Retired Members’ Organisation has sent two representatives of relevant retired members to each National Self-Organised Group (SOG) conference. It further notes that the Retired Members’ National Committee (RMNC) chooses these representatives, but Conference continues to think it would be better if, in future, […]

Happy 50th Birthday Stonewall

Conference next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. These events had a profound effect on the advancement of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights. They were the catalyst for many movements and groups and also had an influence that led to led to Pride events that commenced a few years […]

Motion to Retired Members Conference 2018

Conference notes with concern the growing trend in certain sections of the media to place the blame on our generation for many of the problems being met by younger people. It seems to be convenient to forget, or ignore, the social, political and economic history of the post Second World War years. We know that: […]

Campaigning for the Future

Conference notes with deep concern repeated attempts by the Tories to turn the young against the old and build a negative perception of older people as a drain on society. Conference believes that the intergenerational gap between young and old needs to be bridged by building understanding and relationships. Conference calls on the National Retired […]

Abuse in Care Homes

There is an increasing demand for care in the UK. The proportion of elderly people requiring care in the future will place even more demands on a service that is already struggling. With year-on-year cuts to local councils, over 1.8 million people are already denied access to care. This will, as time passes, create an […]

REPRESENTATION ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME PENSION COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT VEHICLES (CIVs)

Retired members form a significant minority of the present members in the Local Government Pension Scheme. For instance, in Cambridgeshire there were 24,854 active members and 14,991 pensioner members as at 31 March 2017. This pattern is replicated across the country. The formation of CIVs (Joint Pension Investment Pools) gives no opportunity at present, for […]

CARE HOME CONTRACTS

Many private care homes in addition to charging high fees to residents and/or their families, continue to make charges even after the resident has died or moved to alternative accommodation. These fees can be charged for weeks and sometimes months depending on the wording of the contract. This despite the care home having rapidly re-let […]

England Needs a Commissioner for the Rights of Older People

The vast and important role older people have to play in supporting the economy and social wellbeing of family life in British society in today’s world is widely recognised. However, pensioners are often portrayed by politicians and some of the media as a burden on the NHS, the economy and society in general. Apart from […]

Older People and Loneliness

This conference calls on the National Retired Members’ Committee (NRMC) and requests the National Executive Council (NEC) to liaise with other agencies to raise awareness of loneliness and its affects in particular, on older people. Loneliness often comes about as a result of the lack of transport in rural areas together with the lack of […]

POST OFFICE CARD ACCOUNT

This conference instructs the National Retired Members’ Committee (NRMC) and calls upon the National Executive Council (NEC) to raise awareness, by any means at their disposal, to the pending threat of the removal of the Post Office Card Account (POCA). This account is used by thousands of pensioners and less able people as a safe […]

WINDRUSH

Conference is appalled at the Windrush scandal and the treatment of too many of the British citizens affected. In particular Conference is concerned for the many retired people and pensioners caught up in this controversy whose status and rights as British citizens have been erroneously called into question. Conference recalls that Caribbean people were invited […]

Intergenerational Commission

This conference rejects the proposals contained in the Resolution Foundation think tank’s report of the intergenerational Commission, chaired by Lord David Willetts (nicknamed Two Brains), titled “A New Generational Contract”. Conference further rejects the myth of generational unfairness on which the report is founded, and which masks the fact that the real unfairness is based […]

Trans Prisoners

That this Conference will be aware of the tragic deaths in custody last year of trans women being held in male prisons. “Vikki Thompson who was aged 21 at the time of her death was being held at Armley jail, a category B men’s prison, and had told friends she would kill herself, if she […]

Taking forward UNISON’s work on intersex equality

Conference notes that momentum for the recognition of human rights and equality for people born with intersex bodies (variations of sex characteristics) has increased greatly over the last 2 years. Whilst this has mainly been positive, there continues to be confusion and misunderstanding of what intersex means and a lack of focus on everyday issues, […]

LGBT Scrutiny in the Commissioning Process

Up and down the country health and social care service provision is once again metamorphosing. As features in the provider landscape rise and fall, there are winners and losers. The winners, whether from the statutory, private or community sectors, spread into new geographic territories, full of enthusiasm but frequently ignorant of the shape of local […]