A message from Roger

The UCU general secretary ballot result has now been declared and Sally Hunt has been elected. The union and our members face major and difficult challenges from employers and government in almost every aspect of our working lives. The turnout was just 13.9 per cent which in itself suggests the scale of the challenge the union faces. I wish Sally Hunt very well in meeting those challenges. To meet them successfully will require a clear strategic vision and a determined articulate response which members can have confidence in and ownership of. I will seek to play my part in ensuring that is the case through my continuing role as Head of Equality and Employment Rights Finally I would like to sincerely thank the hundreds of members who sent messages of support and campaigned during the election.

Monday, 15 January 2007

Sunday 14th January

Growing old disgracefully

“Families face a growing burden of care for elderly and disabled relatives and most people will have to pay for their own support services in old age as the state’s role shrinks”

Forecast of Commission for Social Care Inspection report

I caught up with this and a raft of other articles on getting older and caring for the elderly as I got ready to visit my mum in her residential home.

She’s lucky. The home actually cares and she had a flat she could sell to fund her place. I’m lucky. UCU is flexible about time out to make arrangements and for emergencies. My wife and kids are absolutely fantastic in sharing the support.

What a sorry state we are in when we can’t assume a reasonable safety net exists for all. My mum worked as a teacher for over three decades. Surely she is entitled to expect what she has now, not consider herself lucky?

As our economy tears families apart in the search for work and the pressures of long hours, it is time trade unions, including UCU made issues of older age more central to our work.

Norman Jemison and colleagues have been active for some years in NATFHE and I hope that in UCU they will get real recognition for their work with pensioners groups. There are practical steps we can take:

¨ Recognise how central pensions are as deferred income and stop any further erosion, if necessary by industrial action

¨ Support campaigns such as Age Concern which seek to protect the rights of pensioners including on issues such as access for free, not means-tested healthcare,

¨ Press employers for agreements that give carers paid time off, and flexibility, in looking after elderly parents and other close friends. The new legal rights coming in April are a very small start and we should use them to get better rights. UCU will be preparing guidance on these in the near future. This should be seen as part of a wider approach to a better work-life balance.

¨ Affiliate as a union to the National Pensioners Convention and ensure we establish vibrant networks of retired members who can campaign on these issues.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Old Blogs

A trade unionist all his working life. An activist and a proud campaigner, Roger has consistently worked to defend human rights of workers. As the leader of the Equality and Employment Rights team in the newly formed UCU he continues to unite the movement around equality and keep employment rights at the top of the agenda.