Pensioner Power

Where was the article? It sounds like a silly idea to me and will achieve nothing.

I said the same on another thread a few weeks ago. The problem is it will never happen because no grandparent is going to withdraw their childcare because it will hurt their family.

You’re right though. It would have a huge effect on the economy. I’d love to be able to say to the government, ‘Overlook our contribution at your peril!’ But it would be a waste of time.

We’re all just too nice and we don’t have a powerful union backing us.

I was only discussing this a couple of days ago. I don’t think that the powers that be have any idea of the volunteering and unpaid care work that many of us pensioners do. I think that if this goodwill was withdrawn for a short period our contributions to society and what we are saving the statutory services might be valued and the WFA rethought. But it won’t happen.

If you are well enough to undertake voluntary work and are struggling financially, I would think about finding a part time job which pays. Of course there will be a huge variation in pay depending on skill set and demand but some folk just enjoy being at work.
Although of course, just helping out with grandchildren is the best way for me and I won’t let politics interfere with my life to that extent.

I think this government is very well aware of the unpaid volunteering and care that goes on and rely on it to promote their 'community' initiatives.
On a slightly different topic I am not sure that all putative members of U3A realise that all the organisation, presentation and instruction for courses and classes is done entirely for free by volunteers; the membership fee goes towards the hiring of premises.

Good luck with finding any kind of job down here in Thanet!

meddijess online businesses don’t have to be based in Thanet? Craft, jewellery, social influencer on social media?

This new government promised change, change, change, well it has certainly kept its word.

I think Labour have kicked a hornets nest with removing WFA. I doubt many people will down tools who are childminding GCs. I wouldn't have done.
Labour say there will be a big increase in pensions next April but that doesn't help for those in need this winter does it?

Depending on what is announced in the October budget, would it be a bonkers idea to individually write a letter to Starmer explaining in detail how his government is affecting your life as an oap? I don’t suppose Starmer would read any of the letters but it would clog up the letter box to number 10 and someone might get the message to pass on to him. As I said … bonkers idea!

I agree that if Pensioners went on strike it would be catastrophic.
Of course it will never happen because most of us are made of sterner stuff than that.

I had vaguely heard of this

NATIONAL PENSIONERS CONVENTION

www.npcuk.org/campaigns

and they are campaigning like many others on WFA.

www.npcuk.org/post/npc-calls-on-all-members-to-write-to-their-mps-in-protest-at-axing-of-universal-winter-fuel-payments

Not all pensioners share the same views on everything. I have no probles with stopping the Winter Fuel Allowance, providing adequate arrangements are made for those whose income is just above PC level.

M0nica there are millions of pensioners so enough letters or emails can go from the group who are most acutely affected. It might have more of an impact than hearing from the privileged groups.

In 10 years time, when claiming state pension itself might well be means tested by then,, we will all wonder what the fuss about loss of WFA . Personally I would have left the WFA alone but allowed opting out for those who don't want to claim it, and looked at bigger tax generation items. I hope the likes of Facebook, Google and Amazon start paying proper amounts of corporation tax on their UK profits.

We all have to contribute in helping to sort this mess out. I agree with the changes to the WFA, I don’t think it’s a vastly unpopular decision. Myself and my siblings have lost their WFA but we as a family will support our 92 year old Mum with her fuel costs.

Many older people don’t just care for grandchildren but elderly parents, at a time of life when they should be enjoying their lives more quite often they are busier than ever, and ‘no’ I don’t suppose they would go on strike, their families would suffer too much. But just imagine how much it would cost the government if such unpaid work were to be paid by the state.

I'd have thought those big corporations should have been the first port of call to fill this 'black hole' not squeezing the pensioners, and if they do decide to means test the state pension in the future, they'd better be prepared for the storm of protest from those wanting all the money back they'd paid into it all their working lives

If older people want to influence any particular party’s policy, they need to vote for them. Labourcdont need to worry about older people’s votes because most of them go elsewhere.

Also, we are by far from being a majority of the population, and removing the WFA is not a widely unpopular decision - anything but, as far as I can tell.

I do agree that older people probably need more effective and focused ways of influencing; not just politicians, but businesses, planning, transport, and more, but that comes down to how we can control advocacy organisations (mostly we don’t) to form a strong single bloc.

ronib

If you are well enough to undertake voluntary work and are struggling financially, I would think about finding a part time job which pays. Of course there will be a huge variation in pay depending on skill set and demand but some folk just enjoy being at work.
Although of course, just helping out with grandchildren is the best way for me and I won’t let politics interfere with my life to that extent.

Why? people that do voluntary work in shops etc etc do it for a variety of reasons and not for the money.

Dinahmo what did you not understand? If oaps are starving or freezing and there’s not enough pension coming in, then why not seek to implement one’s income?
Some pensioners are very poor.

Typo supplement not implement

I take two of my grandchildren to school every day as my daughter is a single parent and works full-time. Withdrawing my labour would only hurt her.
I wouldn't mind paying an admin charge for my travel card, provided I could use it earlier in the morning. At the moment I pay a hefty fare before 9 a.m.

ronib but not all pensioners are in a position to go out and earn if there incomes are low. Poorer pensioners have generally had ill paid jobs before they retired and as all the statistics show these are the just the group that have poorer health and more disabilities than better off pensioners. Many will be disabled to a greater or lesser extent. They may also not have the skills to easily get work. If you have spent your working life as a refuse system operator (dustbin man, to put it colloquially), then you may well have muscular, skeletal and stamina problems that make any physical work impossible, shops are shedding staff not employing them and standing all day will almost definitely be impossible, so what can they do.

Do we really want 90 year olds, with osteporosis, crawling to work through the worst of winter weather to try and work a few hours to pay their fuel bills?

The people who can manage to work through retirement are generally people like DH, now 80, a chartered engineer with specific expertise in a field of engineering where there is a shortage of experienced engineers, and he can work from home. With Zoom, he doesn't even have to leave the house for meetings. Very useful as he has several serious health problems. He obviously already has a good pension and doesn't actually need to work.