“You are the living history of our union,” general secretary Dave Prentis told retired members at their conference in Brighton today.
Praising the commitment and dedication of the union’s 170,946 retired members, he said: “You have spent your lives improving things for your fellow citizens. In your working lives providing the quality public services which everyone relies on, and in your contribution to our union.
“It is you that are responsible for the values our union has today: values that make the world a better place – fairness and justice in the workplace and a better society for all.”
He drew a comparison with the Conservative party conference currently taking place in Manchester.
“Their aspiration is about money, ours is about values and conviction. Theirs is about greed, ours is about ensuring that no one, whatever their age, is left behind.”
He finished with a calculation that there were “the equivalent of 12,000 years of trade union experience,” in the hall. And he vowed that that experience would be called on in the coming years of campaigning.
“Young members, working members, retired members, we are stronger together.”
The article ‘You are the living history of our union’ first appeared on the UNISON site.
