The article here concerning State Pensions appeared in the Times on the 24th September. If correct it is good news for us retired members. As you may know elements of the ‘Media’, some of our ‘Parliamentary Representatives’ and a selection of ‘Think Tanks’ have for some time been agitating for reductions in Pensioners rights. I […]
Your Retired Members Management Committee has been active in opposing the BBC decision to withdraw free TV licences from the majority of pensioners aged 75 plus. We have engaged with the media, written to elected representatives, and taken part in street demonstrations. I think our attitude is best displayed in our letter published in the […]
In recent years the Conservatives seemed to consider the state pension is a plaything whose protections can be altered at their whim. In truth, it is a right enshrined in law, payment of which is triggered in most cases by an individual’s National Insurance contributions over many years. On Thursday 23 July 2020, Joe Hannigan […]
Dear Lady Harding COVID – 19: TEST AND TRACE You will have recently received a communication from Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, referring to this subject. Our Unison Section in Hampshire is affiliated to the NPC and we share the views and concerns expressed in the message that they sent to […]
Probably before ‘the force of nature’ that is the Corona virus arrived on our shores, most of us had limited knowledge of its capabilities, except that it represented a particular danger to the elderly and more so those with existing debilitating health issues. Care homes housing so many elderly residents, often with serious health issues, […]
In January this year you may have seen announcements in the media or on internal circulations that Unison had voted to support Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner in the contest for the election of the Leader and Deputy of the Labour Party. Clearly, not all Unison members are Labour Party supporters. I was curious to […]
Press release from Hampshire Unison Retired Members Section: The barbarians are at the library doors
After ten years the onslaught to diminish our public services in Hampshire continues. Currently we are invited to take part in a consultation on the County’s library services, ultimately the aim of which appears to gain support for the closure of libraries, which will lead to inevitable redundancies. For many pensioners libraries represent a point […]
Branch Secretary Carla Young reports on the ongoing Library Service public consultation Many Hampshire residents are aware that Hampshire County Council anticipate a budget shortfall of £80 million by April 2021. The Library Service’s anticipated contribution to the overall savings target is £1.76 million. While this contribution may appear to be very small in comparison […]
Hampshire Unison January 2020 Newsletter
It is anticipated that the state pension will rise by 4% from next April, 2020. This was the figure provided by the Office for National Statistics of the average wage growth up to July this year and should therefore be reproduced in the pension increase due to the Triple Lock protection (yet another issue your […]