One of our retired members attended the recent Retired Members Conference in Brighton on behalf of our branch, and provided the report below.
UNISON Retired Members Conference October 2025
Introduction
Having recently retired from Barnardo’s after 35 years, I was asked to represent the Unison Barnardo’s Branch at this conference. Although I have been a UNISON member for many years, I never had the capacity to be involved as I would have liked. I didn’t know there was a network of active groups for retired members and opportunities to be involved in campaigning and influencing work in UNISON. Attending this conference was a great opportunity to learn more about the priorities and influencing work of the National Retired Members Committee. It was also a great opportunity to network with members across the country.
A summary of key themes and core insights shared
There were 35 Motions submitted by UNISON Branches representing retired members in UNISON. All motions were carried unanimously. It was moving to hear members speak of their personal experiences and their concerns for the future of older people in our membership and communities. With the overarching theme of pensioner poverty, the key themes and insights were:
- Withdrawal of Immigration visas and resultant impact on social care
Members shared growing concern about the proposal from the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, for the withdrawal of work Visas for 50,000 immigrant workers in the lower skilled sector, a large proportion of whom would be vital for working in the health and social care sector.
This is at a time when the Health and Social Care sector has 131,000 unfilled posts, and an annual turnover rate of workers of over 30 percent. This will have a direct impact on our Retired Members; many rely heavily on health services and dependent on Social Care. It is concerning that social care currently is led by financial motives, not service users and their families.
Call for Action: That the National Retired Members Committee works in conjunction with our General Secretary Christina McAnea and the NEC to oppose and campaign against the Labour government’s Visa Proposals which will inflict restrictions on those who are invaluable to working in the Health and Social Care sector, which will inevitably impact Retired Members. In addition, we need to encourage regional and branch retired members groups to highlight this issue, lobby local MPs and raise awareness of the impact on these proposals on the care sector and NHS.
- Social care reform
Members expressed dismay that at a time when the ageing population continues to grow, the government is failing to treat the reform of Adult Social Care as a matter of urgency. We cannot wait until 2028. Reform of Adult Social Care in England should be a priority for the Labour Government to ensure older people receive the care and support they need to keep out of hospital and stay in their own homes.
Conference welcomed the report ‘Seizing the Opportunity – a Fair Pay Agreement for Social Care from the Fabian Society published in May 2025. This report called for a higher minimum wage in care work to be set and an increase in investment in training and development with staff working towards a Care Certificate.
Call for Action: That the National Retired Members Committee seek support from the NEC and lobby the Labour Party and campaign for more rapid reform of social care. In addition, work with pensioner organisations and regional and branch retired members groups to highlight this issue, lobby local MPs and raise awareness of the urgent need for a national care service.
- Affordable housing for retired people
Conference noted with concern the campaign by Silver Voices, which highlights the state of the housing market for affordable homes for the elderly. It was noted that the previous government set up the Mayhew Review to look into this situation. It was chaired by Professor Les Mayhew subtitled ‘future proofing retirement living’ which sums up its brief. It was reported in November 2022 and made a number of recommendations which were taken up by the recent task force, which reported on 26th November 2024. The studies confirmed that up to 500,000 age-appropriate homes should be built each year to make the demands of the age of population is estimated there will be over 17, million over 65 by 2040.
A recent report by the Centre of Ageing Better, an organisation aimed at tackling the inequalities in ageing, found that one in five people aged over 50 live in poor quality homes that could be making their health conditions worse. Rents and evictions are increasing and quality of housing stock for many is not available. There is a need for more control over private builders building homes that people can’t afford.
Call for Action: That the National Retired Members Committee work with appropriate bodies to campaign for the provision of affordable suitable and energy efficient homes for older people.
- NHS Budgeting and outsourcing
Retired members conference welcomed the allocation by the Labour Government of an extra £22 billion in funding to the NHS. However, this sum will not be enough to repair the massive damage already done to our NHS as a consequence of 14 years of austerity. Alongside this, Retired Members registered their opposition to the increasing level of outsourcing to the private sector. The current Secretary of State for Health and Social Care sees this as a way of reducing the current 7.5 million on the NHS waiting list, 33% of whom are over 55. However, the reality is that this will have little impact on waiting lists as the private sector lacks capacity or infrastructure to deal with long-term chronic conditions which our Retired Members are more likely to suffer from. Instead of outsourcing, increasing funding for the NHS is necessary to ensure services are patient driven rather than profit.
Call for Action: That the National Retired Members Committee works in conjunction with the NEC, the National Pensioners Convention, TUC and pensioner organisations to lobby government and campaign for an NHS that is free at the point of delivery and accessible to all, publicly funded through general taxation and is not outsourced to for-profit private health care providers.
- Pensioner poverty
Many older people struggle to cover food and energy bills. Members shared examples of their family or people in their community who have had to make the choice between ‘eat or heat’. The financial situation of older people is generally linked to their circumstances over their lifetime, in particular, their employment history. Women are generally less well off than men in retirement reflecting their lower average earning due to time out of work for childcare or caring responsibilities.
Pensioner Poverty is on the rise. The government’s plan to freeze tax allowances until 2027/28 has a net reduction in value of an increased pension. It is estimated by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Associations (2024) that to reach a ‘minimum standard’ a single person needs about £14,000 a couple needs £22,400. The new State Pension is around £11,973 a year. The old qualifying State Pension is around £9,110 a year. Unless pensioners have a good occupational pension, this is inadequate.
Call for Action: That the National Retired Members Committee lobby Government to set out a clear reform programme in partnership with Age UK, the TUC Pensioners and all other relevant bodies.
- Digital Exclusion
In March 2025 Age UK published research into the links between digital exclusion in later life and levels of deprivation. The research revealed that 1 in 3 (31%) over 60’s say their lives are much harder now as things they want and need to do, are online such as GP online appointments, banking online with the closure of town centre branches. Members believe that those who cannot or do not want to get online should still be able to access the support and services they need. Goods and services are more expensive if you cannot access online deals. Accessing essential services takes longer.
Call for Action: That the National Retired Members Committee support Age UK, the Digital Poverty Alliance and local community groups in highlighting the issues of digital exclusion and support their call for government help, especially tailored for older people to access the support and services they need. In addition, working with other relevant organisations to raise awareness of digital exclusion and encouraging regional and branch retired members groups to highlight the issues locally and lobby local MPs.
- Taxation and inequality in the state pension
The UK State Pension is among the lowest in Europe. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development noted that 14.5% of UK pensioners lived in relative poverty in 2022. This is a high percentage compared to other countries. For many pensioners, the increased income from the state pension and their private pension just covers the increase in their expenditure. This is due to the increased amount of tax the Government takes because the tax allowance of £12,750 has been frozen, and it is planned to continue this freeze until 2027/28. In two year’s time some pensioners will pay tax on their state pension.
Call for Action: That the National Retired Members Committee continue to campaign to support the triple lock process to increase pensions. In addition, to work with the NEC and other relevant organisations to highlight the effects of freezing the tax allowance on pensioners income and campaign for the tax allowance threshold to be increased yearly by inflation.
- Fuel poverty & the winter fuel allowance
It was noted that the removal of Winter Fuel Allowance for the vast majority of pensions has had many of the detrimental impact predicted by UNISON and campaigns supporting pensions rights. Conference believes that certain universal benefits, such as the retirement pension, are one of the cornerstones of the concept of the welfare state. Conference rejects the narrative of “Hard choices” while this government makes choices to attack benefits for many of the post vulnerable whilst failing to impose higher taxes on the wealth of the super-rich. Many pensioners don’t claim what they are entitled to due to the ‘process’: Means testing doesn’t tackle poverty.
Call for Action: That the National Retired Members Committee to continue to work with the NEC to demand the reinstatement of the Winter Fuel Allowance in full and to continue working with appropriate campaigns supported by UNISON including protests and lobbies.
- Isolation and loneliness of the elderly
A recent UNISON survey reported that over a third of all older people in Great Britain live alone, and 2.9m feel they have no one to turn to for help and support. Loneliness is known to negatively impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. It was noted that Covid likely had a significant impact on older people, many of them now having to cope with the long-term health issues as a consequence of having had the virus or suffering the effect of being locked in their homes isolated from family and friends.
Call to Action: That the National Retired Members Committee to work in conjunction with NPC, Age UK to raise awareness of the increased isolation being faced by many of our Retired Members.
Conclusion
Sadly, in the last decade things are becoming worse and the poor at work (frontline workers in the care sector) are the poor in retirement. The insight from speakers sharing their experiences on a person level and from the perspective of families and the wider community, highlights that poverty is the overarching theme and experience of many of our members. We need a holistic approach, acknowledging all these issues affecting those in retirement from the care sector. A broad review with system and policy change to improve the lives of older people in our society and their loved ones. The work of UNISON in working in conjunction with others to campaign on these key issues will hopefully lead to real system change.
Tina Douglas – UNISON Retired Member – October 2025
