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
This Conference notes that it has debated many motions over recent years on elderly social care. Everyone is aware of poor pay and training for staff; inadequate care for elderly people needing this help in residential and nursing homes or in their own home. There is a large turnover of care staff and this has […]
Conference recognises that it’s been nearly 2 years now since the BBC announced its intention to remove the free TV licence provision from the over 75s in 2020 [having been forced by the Conservative government to take over the funding of this social benefit]. Since then, the protests have never stopped! Groups including Age UK, […]
Conference notes that during the pandemic many organisations moved to introduce card only transactions in an effort to reduce the circulation of cash and therefore the risk of infection. Conference further notes that this practice is becoming more widespread which has the potential to cause serious difficulties for older people on limited incomes. Many older […]
This Conference is appalled that the Chancellor did not take the opportunity, in his spring statement, to reinstate the triple lock in relation to the state pension. Conference notes that had the triple lock been applied the state pension would have been raised by about 8% in line with pay increases which were existent at […]
This Conference notes: – The emergence of a significant rate of inflation in the economy – The proposed increase in energy prices (gas and electricity) – The National Insurance increase by 1.25 percentage points – The six largest energy companies made in excess of £1billion profit in 2021 Whilst recognising that many older people do […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
In England the Bus Pass is available to those at or over state pension age or with some severe health conditions. It gives its holders free travel throughout England on what are defined as “Local bus services”, as a minimum between 09.30 and 23.00 on weekdays and at all times at weekends and Bank Holidays. […]
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 notes that the ambitious environmental rhetoric used by all governments in the UK stands in direct opposition to the long-term fall in resources and support for the country’s environmental protection agencies which regulate and enforce environmental legislation. Why action is needed: For over a decade, our environmental protection agencies have been subject to […]
The toxic debate ignited by the United Kingdom government’s consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act underlined the importance of our union, including branches in the Water, Environment and Transport service group, supporting and representing our Trans members effectively. Attacks on Trans rights have escalated further in the past year. There has been a sustained […]
Conference notes that the proposed revisions to the WET constitution have been overseen by the WET Executive and in particular by the policy sub-group, which is made up of representatives of all WET sectors. The key changes to the constitution can be found on: a. Page 2, sub-section 3.3: Sector seats reduced to 3 instead […]