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WALES PENSIONERS was founded in 1981 with the support of Wales TUC in an endeavour to provide a collective voice for pensioners in Wales, because there was no machinery for expressing the concerns held by many of the pensioners. An organisation was set up and Officers and an Executive Committee were elected on an annual basis. Despite the continuing lack of adequate finance, we endeavour continually to bring to the notice of local and national government and now more recently to the National Assembly for Wales, the problems that many pensioners face.
We publish the views of pensioners in our own 16 paged quarterly, bi-lingual tabloid newspaper and act as a lobbying umbrella organisation with no Party political connections on behalf of all pensioner groups in Wales. In past years we have held three Pensioner Parliaments in Wales
Meetings have been held at a national UK level with a succession of Secretaries of State, Under-Secretaries, Ministers and more recently with the Prime Minister. In Wales we have met with the officers at the National Assembly for Wales as well as with members of the staff of the Welsh Office, County and Local Authorities to express the many issues of concern to the elderly.
Although we are entirely voluntary with no paid staff, we have a wealth of experience amongst our affiliated 115,000 members, many of whom contribute their skills. This, combined with spasmodic small grants from various agencies and more recently a small three-year funding from the National Assembly for Wales, enables us to continue our work across the whole spectrum of issues confronting the increasing number of elderly people.
Currently, we are in the process of re-structuring and expanding our individual membership and branches throughout Wales. We intend to shadow as near as possible the Regional structure of the National Assembly for Wales. We hold our own annual Pensioners Assembly on a selected theme, next year being the United Nations Year of Volunteers. We are also involved in enabling the estimated 1,500 - 2000 small pensioner groups to express their views through a network of Pensioner Forums based on the 22 Local Authority areas.
There is a growing awareness of the voting power of the 10 - 15 million pensioners in the UK. The voice of the 600,000 pensioners is being heard in many quarters in Wales for the first time as we adapt to information technology and its advantages for communication across the geographic complexity of north, south and rural mid Wales.
We are working towards a closer partnership with all caring agencies and one of our objectives is to seek representation on relevant committees dealing with matters relating to pensioners. We currently have a representative on the Older Persons Strategy Steering Group of the National Assembly chaired by Dr Brian Gibbons AM.
CAMPAIGNING OBJECTIVES
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A restoration of the uprating link between
pensions and average earnings, so that all pensioners can share in
economic growth (as they were promised in 1980 when the link was broken).
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Setting targets for lifting the level of the Basic State Pension compared to average earnings, and the minimum poverty line standard of £150 per week for each pensioner.
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A non-means-tested addition to the basic pension for the over 75s (to recognise the heavy impact of disability on this age group) and an
additional pension for severely disabled elderly
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The restoration of SERPS to its intended value and original formula, with credits for those unable to maintain a full labour force career.
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Action to avoid the use of means-tests in the health and social care fields.
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Combatting age discrimination on all sectors of our society.
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Enabling the elderly to continue an active life with security and dignity.
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