CHRIS WILSON has been reflecting on his coming retirement and wondering how to carry on the political fight in older age.
Retirement is not too far away for me now (about four years), and being in good health I have started to think about how to stay ‘active with the activists’ now my trade union involvement is slowly winding down.
Like many of my generation I still have plenty of fight left and I’m wondering where to direct it. I suspect there are countless others of similar age in the same position – so here are some thoughts.
First, it’s worth reciting a few sobering facts about older people:
- It is estimated that some two million UK pensioners live in poverty; about 16% of the population.
- More than half of low-income pensioners struggle to pay bills, with energy costs a major concern.
- Tenant, single-women and ethnic minority pensioners are at particular risk of hardship.
So where do pensioners go to fight? How do they make their voices heard?
Most trade unions are keen to keep retired members on their books but all too often they offer little in return, with the honourable exception of Unison, which claims to be the only British union with a retired members’ group.
Further afield, there are a number of specialist pensioner groups, aside from age-related charities, such as Age Concern (good as they are), which I am leaving to one side as they’re not ‘member-led’. For example, many former trade unionists gravitate towards the National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC), which claims to represent 1.5 million members and is organised on a federal basis.
Strong record
Founded by Jack Jones (once general secretary of the Transport and General Workers’ Union), it has a strong record on engagement and campaigning, while its objectives include decent state pensions, a national care service, the end of fuel poverty, and social and digital inclusion. This worthy organisation certainly deserves support from older and retired workers.
Then there is the National Federation of Occupational Pensioners. It claims to have around 20,000 members and, like the NPC, seems to have a functioning governance structure that encourages engagement, including a conference and an executive committee. It is currently campaigning for a ‘Budget for Later Life’, building on the 2023 Pensioners’ Manifesto. All good stuff.
Newer groups include Silver Voices, another membership organisation with more than 10,000 people signed up. Its main concern at the moment is to stop state pensions being taxed, while its chief executive, Dennis Reed, is a former senior official with Unison and chief executive of the local government think tank, LGIU.
Finally, there are friendly societies, such as the Oddfellows (which I have mentioned before). It holds a ‘friendship month’ to bring older folk together, and aims to tackle isolation and loneliness, while its care and welfare work offers vital support for those in need. The Oddfellows is also member-led, with branches across the country, although perhaps it lacks in strategic political work.
So there is plenty of political campaigning for retired trade unionists to do. After all, there are many ways to support progressive causes. As Eduard Bernstein wrote, “the movement is everything, the final goal nothing”.
—-
Reverend Chris Wilson is a Christian socialist, an active trade unionist (still) and a member of the ILP.
