'Speechless and ashamed'

Unite retired members joined scores of other pensioners outside the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool to protest a government decision to axe the Winter Fuel Allowance for all but the poorest pensioners.

Travelling from all over the country to have their voices heard, the protestors were undeterred by the relentless rain. They stood united in their support of the union’s campaign Defend the Winter Fuel Payment, which calls on the government to restore the universal payment and instead tax the wealthiest.

A one percent wealth tax on households with more than £4m in assets, which Unite is calling for, would raise £25bn. This would dwarf the mere £1.5bn that would be raised by limiting the Winter Fuel Allowance to only those who claim pension credit or other means-tested benefit.

UniteLive spoke to pensioners who were angry and dismayed that the government is prepared to pick-pocket pensioners, many of whom will struggle to survive without the Winter Fuel Payment.

Unite member and branch secretary for Unite Manchester Retired Members Bill Moores (pictured above) told UniteLive, “I’m worried about the pensioners who desperately need the Winter Fuel Allowance but will only just be missing out. They will have to make the decision between heating their home or eating.”

Unite member Stephen Rennie (pictured below) agreed.

“The Winter Fuel Allowance needs to be reinstated, because the poorest among us are literally going to die this winter,” he said. “The problem with means testing is that it makes people ashamed to claim what they’re entitled to. Make it universal, and if you want to reclaim it from people like Richard Branson, do that through tax.”

Meanwhile, Unite retired member Lynne Sheerman (pictured below), had travelled all the way from Coventry to voice her anger at the government’s decision.

Lynne told UniteLive, “I’ve got MS, I’ve got arthritis in every finger, and I’ve also had an operation on my hip. Last winter, we were sat freezing, hands shaking, wearing our coats indoors. It’s going to be even worse this year.”

Lynne’s companion Gaynor Chesney, also a Unite member, is among Lynne’s closest friends – now 70, they met when they were 15. Gaynor was recently diagnosed with terminal dementia, and both Lynne and Gaynor Chesney are WASPI women – women whose pensions were significantly impacted after the pension age between men and women was equalised.

“Keir Starmer is in a new suit and we’re out here soaking wet,” she said. “I’m speechless and ashamed of this government. We’re here because we’re not just standing up for us – but for our kids and our grandkids.”

Angela Duerden, who sits on Unite’s Executive Council (EC) representing women, was among several speakers at the packed protest (pictured above). She told UniteLive afterwards how the government’s decision will hit women pensioners hardest.

“Throughout their working lives, women are at a disadvantage when it comes to their work, pay and conditions,” she said. “They tend to be in lower-paid occupations, and even when they’re doing the same jobs as men, they tend to be paid less.

“This means that when women reach pension age there’s a deficit in their pension,” Angela explained. “Without even realising it, so many women become impoverished when they reach pension age. The cut to the Winter Fuel Allowance will only further exacerbate the financial difficulties that a lot of women of pension age face.”

Unite retired member John MacPherson was especially angry that the prime minister said the decision to cut Winter Fuel Allowance was made in the context of having to make “tough choices”.

“When Keir Starmer said we need to make tough choices, they should tax his freebies instead,” he said. “These politicians are living in luxury, and we aren’t. The government needs to remember that there are 13 million pensioners, and we have a vote – and we will use it.”

Unite’s protest happened amid Unite delegates’ anger on Monday morning when it transpired that the union’s protest motion against the Winter Fuel Allowance cuts, due to be heard in the afternoon, was postponed.

Unite said it has faced constant attempts this week by the Labour leadership to block the motion due to be heard immediately after the chancellor Rachel Reeves’ speech. The debate on winter fuel and Austerity 2 has now been shifted right at the end of conference on Wednesday (September 25).

Commenting ahead of this afternoon’s protest, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “The government’s winter fuel policy needs to be reversed. Targeting everyday people without much money is not a tough choice – it is a mistake. There is no reason why we have to choose between paying workers and keeping pensioners warm.”

Unite retired members vice-chair Maggie Roberts added, “Pensioners on as little as £220 per week will be missing out on the winter fuel payment this year. This isn’t a policy which takes from the rich to give to the poor. This is a policy which takes from pensioners to pay for a crisis not of our making.

“My own constituency of Weston-Super-Mare voted in a Labour MP for the first time ever this year. We have lots of pensioners living here. I know a lot of them won’t be voting Labour again. The government must reverse its decision on winter fuel.”

Find out more about the Defend the Winter Fuel Payment campaign, and how you can take part, here.

By Hajera Blagg

Photos by Mark Thomas