together!surrey county unison retired members' newsletter : february 2010

Can you helpus find them?Tracking downold friends p4

TolpuddleMartyrsCelebratingunions withmusic p7

issue 17

defending the nhspage 9

2 | welcomes & goodbyes : coffee mornings o!

welcomesand

goodbyesWELCOME!We extend a warmwelcome to the followingnew members who havejoined us since the lastissue of the Newsletter:Mrs C Burnett, Mrs JGlazzard, Mr RWoodmore, Mrs M Zawadaand Mrs C GreenwoodIf any of you are withinreach of Kingston andwould like to join us forcoffee at 10.30a.m. inthe Staff Restaurant onWednesday 24th February2010 you may be sure of avery warm welcome.IN MEMORIUMSince the last issue of theNewsletter we havereceived the sad news ofthe deaths of Mrs B.Blanch and Mr. C. Luceand Mr A W Brewer. Weextend our deepestsympathy to theirfamilies.

Dates for your diariesJoin us for ourcoffee mornings!All members arewelcome to come toour Coffee Mornings atCounty Hall on thefourth Wednesdayeach month (exceptDecember). We meetat 10.30am in theStaff Restaurant andmembers who wish to can stay on for lunch inthe Staff Restaurant, where an excellent mealcan be had at very reasonable cost. Why notgive it a try and perhaps combine it with ashopping trip to Kingston.

together!Editor: Peter DanielsProduction: Chris Leary for Surrey County UNISONPublisher: Paul Couchman for Surrey County UNISON

The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of thecontributors and may not necessarily be those of Surrey CountyUNISON, the national union or the Retired Members' CommitteeCopyright Surrey County UNISON 2009.Surrey County UNISON, County Hall, Penrhyn Road, Kingston uponThames, KT1 2DNTel: 020 8541 9091 | Fax: 020 8546 6993

24th February24th March28th April26th May23rd June28th July25th August22nd September27th October24th November

editorial | 3o! o!

editorialBetween the borders of Oxshott and Epsom is thetown of Chessington, which was formerly withinthe urban district of Epsom and Ewell. In 1936when Surbiton became Borough, Chessington wastransferred to that Borough.Towards Malden Rushet which is south ofChessington there is only a few yards betweenthe borders of Epsom and Oxhott. This meansthat Surrey County Council vehicles travellingbetween these two places have to travel for ashort distance in a London Borough. As one ofthe staff remarked “do wehave to show a white flageach time we go throughChessington!” The Star Pubstraddles the boundarybetween the Borough ofKingston and Mole Valley, sohas to pay each Borough aproportion of the rates due.Other boundary changes cometo mind; Bournemouthformerly in Hampshire, is nowin Dorset. Peterboroughformerly in North Hants isnow in Cambridge and that part of Cheshireknown as the Wirral was transferred to the newAuthority called Merseyside.In the days of the County Boroughs which wereabolished in 1974, they controlled such servicesas Education, Police and their municipaltransport. The County Borough of Brighton had afine trolley bus service, jointly with the adjoiningBorough of Hove. The only way one could tellwhich trolley buses belonged to whom, was thatthe Brighton owned ones had coat of arms shownon the side of each trolley bus. Whereas thoseowned by the Borough of Hove were without anymarking.Brighton also had its own Police Force, whereasHove came under the control of Sussex PoliceAuthority.

In summer, the Police Officers of one Authorityhad to keep wearing their tunic coats, whereasthe other Police Officers were allowed to keepcool by not wearing a tunic. I have forgottenwhich way round it was.Now we come to postal boundaries. The town ofYateley in Hampshire had its postal address asCamberley, Surrey. Solicitors dealing with theConveyancing of a property in Yateley wouldoften send their Local Land Charges Searches to

our Local Land Charges section atCounty Hall. The searches had tobe passed on to HampshireCounty Council who were basedat Winchester.Nearer home, Wimbledon had thepostal numbers of SW19 and SW20even before the Greater LondonCouncil came into being in 1965.In the fifties Kingston Boroughobjected to the Post OfficeAuthorities calling the Borough“Kingston on Thames”, on theirmail stamp and it took a long

time before the Borough was correctly shown as,Kingston upon Thames by the Post Office.Offices of the Land Registry dealt with properties“North of the Thames and South of the Thames”.

When the Borough of Richmond was formed in1965, it meant that both Land Registry Officeswere involved. I wonder whether Surrey recordsat the Tonbridge Wells Land Registry includedthose properties north of the river?I am near the end of my wanderings. Churchesused to have a ceremony called “beating thebounds”. In some places a choirboy would be“bumped” at the Parish boundary. Perhaps thatcustom fell out of use when there were no morechoirboys available.

Editor Peter Daniels wanders aroundSurrey's ever changing borders

4 | where are they now? o!where are they now?can you help us find them?We have received a request for help from our Branch Office Manager, Janet Callender who tells us thatfrom time to time she has retired members who have moved from their current home address, so mail isreturned to her. In situations like this, she contacts the Pensions Department by writing a letter to theperson(s) she is trying to contact, stating that the letter has been forwarded on to them by the PensionsOffice.However, in the dispatch of the AGM notification there were many envelopes returned from memberswho Pensions will not be able to trace because there is insufficient information to pass to the PensionsOffice. The names are below. If any of you know the whereabouts of any of these members could youplease contact Janet at the UNISON Office on 020 8541 9091 or by email tojanet.callender@surreycc.gov.ukMRS L M BAKER ‐ SURBITONMRS PATRICIA BARKERMRS L P CALVERMR K H CAMPLING ‐ LEATHERHEADMRS R CARTER ‐ EPSOMMRS C CATCHPOLE ‐ GUILDFORDMRS J D COLE ‐ GODALMINGMRS M CROSS ‐ LOWESTOFTMR A M CUMMARD ‐ DEVONMRS LOIS DAVIS ‐ CAMBERLEYMRS J FERGUSSON ‐ WOKINGMR W D GASKIN ‐ CATERHAMMISS J GREGG ‐ COBHAMMRS K Y GREGORY ‐ BANSTEADMRS G GUTTERIDGE ‐ KINGSTON HILLMRS A S HARDY ‐ CHANNEL ISLANDSMR ROBERT HARRIS ‐ STAINESMR L A HARWOOD ‐ WALTON ON THAMESMRS B HISTED ‐ TADWORTHMRS J HODGES ‐ ALDERSHOTMR A E HOWELL ‐ CHESSINGTONMRS F E HUDSON ‐ NEW MALDENMRS S HUGHES ‐ BOXHILLMRS P IRELAND ‐ GUILDFORDMRS KAY KELLY ‐ BETCHWORTHMR J F LYE ‐ EWELLMR P MCQUILLAN ‐ CHESSINGTONMRS V MURRAY ‐ DORKING

MR A C NASH ‐ TADWORTHMISS E O'CONNOR ‐ N/KMR R OLEJNICZAK ‐ SURBITONMR R J PARKER ‐ STOCKPORTMRS C O PRATT ‐ MILTON KEYNESMR H C PRITCHARD ‐ CHESHAM BUCKSMRS A E PURYER ‐ N/KMRS J RICHARDSON ‐ ESSEXMRS J ROLLS ‐ CHICHESTERMR M J ROSE ‐ KENTMR J SETTLE ‐ YORKMRS D SIDDALL ‐ EPSOMMR J SMITH ‐ HAMPSHIREMS S E SOLOMAN ‐ WEST MOLESEYMRS YVONNE SPALDING ‐ DORKINGMRS E SPEARPOINT ‐ THAMES DITTONMRS Y M THOMPSON ‐ EASTBOURNEMR G D TODD ‐ NORFOLKMRS J TODMAN ‐ SURBITONMRS M TRIER ‐ COBHAMRS A TULL ‐ WARLINGHAMMR J B VICKERY ‐ REIGATEMRS P WEBB ‐ ADDLESTONEMR H WHALLEY ‐ TADWORTHMRS E J WHITFIELD ‐ VIRGINIA WATERMRS B K WILLIAMS ‐ CHERTSEYMS R ALDERTON ‐ GODALMINGMR H J RATCLIFFE ‐ BEDFORDSHIRE

pensioner's parliament | 5o! o!pensioners' parliamentby Janice HillsAfter 17 years this event remains the largest independentgathering of older people's representatives within the UK andis organized by the National Pensioners' Convention (which willbe referred to in the rest of this report as NPC).As in previous years the Parliament was preceded by theannual march from the North Pier to the Winter Gardens.Something was different this year though ‐ instead of the usualwind and rain ‐ warmth and sunshine! The march, thoughshorter than usual due to the extensive redevelopment in thetown, was attended by thousands of banner wavingpensioners, bringing the traffic to a standstill.On arrival at the Winter Gardens, the Parliament was openedby the NPC President, Frank Cooper, saying that it had been asad year for the pensioner movement with the deaths of thefounding president Jack Jones and longest serving secretary ofthe NPC Jack Thain. We then stood in respect for them andspent a few moments in silence to reflect on our memoriesCouncillor Norman Hardy, the Mayor of Blackpool, welcomedthe delegates to “The Hard Hat Town of the North” saying 'in afew years time we shall benefit from the vast improvementsto the town'. I have been going there for many years toconferences and agree that the work already done has vastlyimproved the promenade.This year the opening session differed from that of previousyears as it took the form of “Question Time” and was chairedby the NPC's patron Professor Alan Walker from SheffieldUniversity. Delegates had been asked to submit questions inadvance to ensure equality across the whole of the UK. Thisworked very well and the answers given by the panelconsisting of Rosie Winterton (Pensions Minister), NigelWaterson (Shadow Minister for Older People), Paul Rowen (LibDem Pensioners' Team) and JoeHarris from the NPC faced questions on, predictably, MP'sexpenses, National Insurance Fund surplus, level of the StatePension, free travel, council tax, fuel poverty and the link withearnings, just to mention a few! Lively debate followed on allsubjects and the panel did not have an easy time, with banterfrom some of the delegates who, when they were asked tovote on whether they trusted MP's, the overwhelming answerwas NO.The second day consisted of workshops, the morning sessionbeing:1 Defending Local Services ‐ So many of the services we have

grown up with and take for granted ‐ Libraries, Post OfficesHealthcare etc., ‐ are under threat of closure.2. Understanding LINks ‐ LINks is an acronym for Local

Involvement Networks, a group whose aim is to give citizens astronger voice in how their health and social care services are

delivered, their role being, to find out what people want,monitor local services and use their powers to hold them toaccount. Groups are funded by the local authorities, whichare under a legal duty to make contractual arrangements thatenable LINk activities to take place.3. The General Election and a Pensioners' Manifesto ‐ Paul

Routledge, a journalist, along with Neil Duncan‐Jordan NPCled this session, which highlighted the need to have a majorfocused campaign leading up to the 'inevitable' generalelection next year, in order to gain MP's support for thePensions' Manifesto. Neil concluded by saying “There aremillions of pensioners with the right to vote in this country. Weform a significant electoral voting bloc and WE can influencethe course of an election”.During the lunch break Delegates were entertained withsketches and songs by the 'Collective Encounters TheatreGroup' taking a light hearted look at the perils faced by olderpeople in the health system entitled “Doctor, doctor, we needto talk”.The afternoon held more fascinating and thought provokingdebates, focusing on; Achieving Age Equality, Dignity in Careand Pensioners and the Economy. Unfortunately impossible toattend them all. After an evening featuring 'The Bachelors,remember them? It was time for bed.Thursday morning there were more workshops on offer:‐• Building the NPC and the Pensioners' Movement; Led by NeilDuncan‐Jordan and NPC Secretary Dot Gibson• Concessionary Travel; A very popular subject, giving anupdate on how the national scheme has developed, with focuson problems it has raised in each area where local authoritieshave made different interpretations on how it is managed.• Media Workshop; Tips on how to convey one's message andaccessing publicity using the media for free.After a quick coffee it was time for the close of Parliamentwith keynote speeches from Sarah Stone (DeputyCommissioner for Older People in Wales), who gave apresentation on the work of her department, RodneyBickerstaff who spoke on the good work and highlights of JackJones' life and Sir Michael Parkinson, who is now an appointedAmbassador for Older People in Care.For anyone who has never attended the Parliament, which isheld in Blackpool every year (I believe that Blackpool Councillets us have the Winter Gardens free), I thoroughlyrecommend it. My branch is affiliated to the NPC and pays mytravel and accommodation, but individuals are able to attendand register for a modest fee, funding their own expenses.One of the great strengths of the Parliament is that it providesa forum for pensioners to have their say on important issues,collect information on many subjects and meet like mindedpeople. This year the NPC's gathering will be from Tuesday 8thto Thursday 10th June.

6 | activist training day o!retired members activists' training dayfighting for pensionersPeter Hills reports back for Together!The first presentation was given by Neil Duncan‐Jordan of the National Pensioners' Convention andcovered topics ranging from the Government's attitudeto pensioners, pensions, care for disabled pensionersand pensioners' bus passes.Although the NPC has only three full time staff andone office and has an annual budget of £150,000, withfurther funding, which could be raised by a levy onunion members, it could increase its activities onbehalf of the pensioners. The NPC is affiliated to overa thousand other organizations, has seventeenregional groups but no branches.PensionsBritain has one of the worst pension schemes in theWestern World with one in three over 65s living inpoverty, the same as Lithuania. This is in spite of thefact that there is a forty eight billion pound surplus inthe National Insurance funds. Dignity and respectmust be linked to getting rid of pensioner poverty andpoliticians must be challenged on this although theyassume that pensioners will not change establishedvoting patterns so are probably not that concernedand they say that pensioners want something fornothing.CareThe Government want to introduce a system ofpersonally administered budgets for care, wherebypensions and allowances would be managed totally by

the individual and be their responsibility and the localauthority would have no input. This means in practicethat the individual would act as an employer of thecarer and could be responsible for their sick pay,holiday pay etc, with no extra funding to cover suchitems. For a lot of elderly people this could provevery difficult and distress. Or what could also happenis that the private sector might see a goldenopportunity to take on the administrativeresponsibility and charge pensioners for the privilege.Either way the poor are going to end up poorer.75% of Councils have now stopped providing care forthe disabled. If an elderly person has a carer whothen becomes a pensioner themselves, then thecarer's allowance is stopped.Bus PassesA report commissioned by the Local GovernmentAssociation, has come out with recommendation thatthe bus pass scheme for pensioners should be meanstested. In practice this involves assessing income andcar ownership. This would be, if nothing else, veryunpopular and environmentally counterproductive.The truth of the matter is, that central governmentcontribute one billion pounds per year to the localauthorities to subsidise the bus passes. However, thisis not ring fenced and is being spent on other servicesfor which it was not intended, thereby creating ashortfall in the bus pass budget. What some localauthorities are threatening to do if therecommendations are not implemented, is to cutother services and blame this on the bus passes.

For more information call free 0800 848 88 55or visit www.thinkjessica.com

tolpuddle martyrs | 7o! o!tolpuddle martyrs festival 2009hikes, kids, bands and me175 years ago six farm labourers 'dared' to form a trade union. Forthis 'crime' they were arrested and sentenced to transportation tothe penal colonies of Australia, which led to a campaign and greatmass trade union protest, which won them free pardons andeventual return to England. They came from Tolpuddle in Dorset.This is why on 17th July I travelled there in driving rain with mytent, sleeping bag and primus stove, to take part in the 175thAnniversary Commemoration of this event.I have been attending the festival for many years, staying in local B& Bs or travelling down for the day ‐ but always enjoying theopportunity to take an active part in the whole weekend and relaxwith a beer or two at the end of the day to 'sort out worldproblems' with a few like minded comrades!!I arrived at 5pm after being stuck in traffic for 3 hours, to begreeted by sunshine and wind. For £35 I had booked my two personpitch with the TUC in May (a must do as space is limited). Thisincluded car parking for the weekend. I found a good spot andunpacked my gear. Having never been camping in my 65 years, Iwas fast becoming a human kite, the wind turning my pink andpurple tent into something resembling a hot air balloon, the pegsunable to secure it into the damp ground.A woman came to my rescue and very soon I had a 'home' for theweekend. I hammered in my 6 foot flagpole and attached myhome made UNISON WELFARE flag plus an orange 'windmill' flower(so that I could quickly identify my tent) ‐ it was the only pink onethere!!I then set off to the village where 'Comrades', one of the greatfilms of the British cinema was being shown in the village hall.When this was over I made my way to the Marquee, where I wasentertained by the fiery fiddle‐fuelled performance of 'Jigsaw' afolk band from Dorchester, then at midnight lulled to sleep by thedistant sounds of music from nearby tents.Saturday morning at 7am I crawled out of my abode to 'brew up',finding to my astonishment tents around me sporting 20 foot highpoles adorned with various union flags ‐ paling mine intoinsignificance! After a hot shower (this year the showers and toiletswere super) I spent the morning in the 'Open Mic' area wherespeakers, poets and musicians can do their own thing ‐ manytalented performers air their political views and have their say.The afternoon was spent with my family and grandchildren, whomeet at Tolpuddle every year. I am proud that my three grown upchildren and my husband are all union members Last year myhusband, Peter, had his surprise 70th birthday here ‐ but this year,after a hip operation, I left him at home! The children were wellcatered for with story telling, crafts, football, competitions and,my youngest grandson's favourite, the opportunity to learn Bhangradancing from India. In the evening I babysat, whilst the others

enjoyed fantastic music from amazing groups.Sunday saw me rising at dawn to march on the Freedom Hike fromDorchester Prison to Tolpuddle (a 3 hour trek and the reverse ofthe route taken by the Tolpuddle Martyrs).After arriving in a convoy of cars to the prison we hiked with theprison officers, sustained by a breakfast of doughnuts and coffee intheir café after signing the petition to regain their TRADE UNIONrights, which are being diminished. The march was led by.andfinished with the Northern Ireland Prison Service Pipe Band inattendance.I was weary on my return, but immediately it was time for thewreath laying and the Grand Procession. Pat Turner (UnisonSouthern Gas retired member) was waiting for me with theUNISON SOUTH EAST RETIRED MEMBERS' SECTION banner, whichwe carried with pride on the procession through the main streetalong with bands and other trade unionists from all over thecountry. My feet ached! But my heart was happy!!At the end of the procession everyone gathered by the main stageto hear the speakers which included Brendan Barber and TonyBenn, then Tolpuddle's favourite folk singer Billy Bragg. For photos‐ Google: Trades Union Congress ‐ Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival 2009.When and Where did you eat? I hear you ask. Well, thankfully (asmy primus was inadequate) the villagers of Tolpuddle welcome thefestival and provide great value cooked breakfasts. Cream teas areserved in the village hall and other stallholders sell hog roasts,jacket potatoes and tasty fare to suit all diets No tummy upsetsnor swine flu' was included!!There were interesting stalls with union information, books andtea shirts, also jewellery, CDs, clothing and gifts.I reluctantly packed up my DRY tent and left on Monday 20th July,looking forward to next year when I hope to see YOU from 16th to18th. Hopefully I've whetted your appetite for festivals . Pleasenote; I paid for the weekend myself ‐ it wasn't a 'jolly'.!!As Welfare Officer (for UNISON Surrey pct), I got permission andhad intended to sell good second hand clothing for the Bucket andSpade Appeal, but the stall was a distance from my car and I ranout of time.I have registered as a participant in UNISON Welfare's 2010 ThreePeaks Charity Challenge, which takes place next May. I needsponsorship for this event and promise that none of thesponsorship money is used to subsidise the trip, all cost being metby the participants and by the corporate sponsor Frizzell. If any ofyou would be kind enough to sponsor me I can be contacted byemail; grannyhills@aol.com Janice Hills, UNISON Surrey PCTRetired Members' Secretary

8 | television noise o!television background noiselistening to the bbcAs promised in the August edition of Together I wrote to theBBC passing on all the complaints which members had madein their letters to Peter and adding comments which othermembers had made to me as well as some of my own, writesRoy Hayman.I have also discovered that, quite by coincidence, the RNIDhad, earlier this year, carried out a survey of their memberson this very same problem and had received more than 600replies. Of those responding to the RNID's survey, more thanhalf said they had switched off because of obtrusivebackground noise and the same number had stopped watchinga programme because of problems with subtitles.I have now received a fairly long letter from Jacqui MacDonaldof the BBC Complaints Department in which she begins bysaying that the BBC recognizes that some of the audience isirritated by background music or background noise inprogrammes. In response to this I have pointed out to MsMacDonald that according to the RNID one in seven of thepopulation suffers from some degree of hearing impairmentand that even with relatively mild hearing loss the firstproblem that such people encounter is the difficulty ofhearing speech against a background of noise, as for examplein a crowded restaurant. One can be reasonably certaintherefore that most of the one in seven of the population withimpaired hearing are finding that the background noise ismaking it difficult or impossible to hear the commentary ordialogue.I have also pointed out that that, on present populationstatistics, one in seven is almost nine million of thepopulation. Her statement that “some” of the audience isirritated by background noise would seem to be a grossunderstatement and I have suggested to her that “asubstantial proportion” would be a more accurate statement.On a more positive note Ms. MacDonald says that a BBCproject has looked in some depth at background sound,working with audio specialists, programme makers, the RNIDand Hearing Concern with the aim of raising awareness amongprogramme makers and to offer guidance towards managingsound levels in the interest of all audiences. She also explainsthat the BBC have also made an internal video to help explainthe issue and to offer advice. An intranet site has beenlaunched to provide programme makers with furtherinformation and the BBC are now looking at ways ofcommunicating the messages more widely, such as sessionswith programme makers in key output areas.Whilst I am pleased to learn the efforts of the BBC toencourage the programme makers to take the problemseriously, it does seem that the message has been falling onstony ground. It also seems to me that if the BBC are payingthe programme makers they can do more than merely 'explain'and 'advise'. Surely they are in a position to say that they willnot buy programmes where the makers have ignored theirguidance!

Ms. MacDonald's letter continues with almost a page ofexplanation as to the method by which subtitles are added,most of which while no doubt of interest to the technicallyminded I found irrelevant to the point I had raised. I thought Ihad made it clear in my previous letter that I fully understoodthe difficulty, or even impossibility of synchronizing subtitleswhere the programme is being transmitted live. In my letterhowever I referred to lack of synchronization where it is clearthat the presenter must be reading from a script or some formof cueing device or where there has been a reasonable timebetween the recording of the programme and its transmissionto get the subtitles right. A case in point is the number oftimes that I have seen a news item on the One o/clock newswhich is repeated on the Ten o/clock news with the samemistakes and lack of synchronization of the subtitles. In myresponse I have reiterated the points I had previously made.Finally Ms. MacDonald assures me that the BBC take theseissues very seriously as naturally they want all of theiraudience to fully enjoy their programmes. To this end she saysthat our feedback on the subject is very much appreciatedand accordingly she has registered our comments on theiraudience log. This daily report of audience feedback iscirculated to many BBC staff, including members of the BBCExecutive Board, channel controllers and other seniormanagers. She further says that the audience logs are seen asimportant documents that can help shape decisions aboutfuture programming and content. They are also published onthe BBC' intranet site, so are available for all BBC staff toview.About ten days after I received the letter from Ms.MacDonald, I watched the third in the series of DavidAttenborough's programmes entitled 'Life' and I was verypleased to find that not only were the subtitles perfectlysynchronized but that the background noise was considerablyattenuated or even switched off altogether whenever thenarration began. The result was very pleasing indeed and Ihave asked Ms.MacDonald to convey my appreciation to themakers of that programme.If David Attenborough's programme is, in fact, an example ofwhat we may expect in the future then it seems that perhapsour representations alongside those of such influential bodiesas the RNID and Hearing Concern may have begun to producesome improvement. Time alone will tell! For my part I shallkeep up the pressure until the we have no further cause forcomplaint.Finally, I would like to mention that in writing to the BBC, Ihave tried to make it clear that my criticisms relate only tothe specific matters about which I was complaining. By andlarge I think that the BBC do a very good job indeed. Anyonewho has seen the appalling standard of some of theprogrammes broadcast by television companies in othercountries will appreciate how lucky we are to have such a finepublic service broadcaster as we have in the BBC but whyspoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar!

healthcare in america | 9o! o!

healthcare in americathe american right's fear ofnational healthKevin O'Brien is the Epsom & St.HelierUNISON Health Branch Secretary. The articlehas been reproduced from the Autumn 2009edition of “In Touch”.Like many of you, I havebeen following thedebate in the USA aboutthe future of theirhealth services with amixture of horror andanger.The pictures of peopleprotesting aboutPresident Obama'slimited proposals tocreate a safety netacross the States havebeen downright scary.Themisrepresentation ofour own NHS by theAmerican right winghas beendisgraceful.If you really want toknow what health inAmerica is all aboutI can stronglyadvise you to hire or buy acopy of the Michael Moore movie Sicko.You will watch it in stunned silence.Sicko exposes how the American health carecorporations make massive profits and aremore than happy to bankrupt individuals inthe middle of their treatment. The privatehealth insurers spend millions trying to denyclaims by those who actually thought theyhad cover.

Tens of millions of Americans have no healthcover at all and are reliant on charity. A hugechunk of the population are one accident orone illness away from destitution. And yetthis is the model of care that the Americanright wing want to defend! It takes yourbreath away.When people ask mewhy we were soopposed to anAmerican companytaking over SWLEOCat Epsom, .I tell themto go and watchSicko. It shows youjust why it is soimportant that wefight with every ounceof energy we have todefend our NHS.

We have to remainvigilant. New Labourgot itself tied in withsome of these Americanhealth providers likeUnited Health. Theyhave no place in ourNHS. The Tories have longterm links with the USprivate sector and one oftheir leading MEPs waded intothe debate in the US slagging off our own NHSas a “failure” and yet David Cameron took noaction.With an election looming in the spring of thisyear, the NHS will once again be a massiveissue. UNISON will continue to fight indefence of the principle of a health servicepublicly provided and free at the point ofneed. The lessons from America show us justhow important that fight is.

10 | letterbox o!

letterboxYour letters are always welcome and we especially encourage new members towrite in. If you'd like to send in a letter for publication, please send it to Mr. PeterDaniels, 79, Hamilton Avenue, Tolworth, Surbiton, Surrey, KT6 7PW.The following letter from Mr. A Jenkins wasreceived before our last edition but had to beheld over until this edition due to lack of space:From Mr. A. Jenkins:‐Dear Peter,I have just received the 'Together' news sheet andam pleased to read with interest the letters fromCharles Trippett about his service etc.Although I cannot equal his retirement years of37 years, I can surpass his service with theCouncil. I served from 29th November 1937 until Iretired on 1st June 1979 i.e. approaching 42years. I will soon be clocking up 30 years ofretirement. Almost all of my service (includingnearly 7 years in the army) were spent in theTreasurer's Department. During my W.W.II serviceI was a P.O.W. for 4 years in Poland and Germany.

Sadly my dear wife died suddenly after a yearlong struggle in October 2008 otherwise we wouldbe celebrating our diamond wedding (60) yearson 17th December 2009. It was not to be and Iwill miss her on my 90th birthday on 26th May2009.When I returned to County Hall from army servicein July 1946 (I joined the T.A. in 1939) I met Sallywho was in the Audit Section and we married in1949. We have a son and daughter and threegrandchildren.I often wonder how many pre W.W. II staff arenow left. All my family (a large one) and friendsalso army comrades have long since departed.The late Harold Littlewood was a dear friend andof course I sometimes see Cliff Coe in Molesey.I do remember Nutfield Priory School for the

deaf. In fact, in the 1950s we had an officecolleague in Audit Section who attended theschool but cannot recall his name.Well I must not keep rambling on so will closewith my best regards. Like Charles Trippett myp.c. is out of order at the moment, so you mustbear with me for my writing.Best regards,Jenk.Many thanks Jenk. It is always good to hear fromyou but we are very sorry indeed to hear of thedeath of Sally. Please accept the very sincerecondolences of all of us here at 'Together'From Mr. Charles TrippettDear Mr. Daniels,Once again thank you for editing “Together”.Here's my contribution to “Where Were YouThen”.I was a Senior NCO in charge of a Flight of 15tradesmen in the RAF Airfield ConstructionService and then based on a U.S.A.F. Station nearNewbury Berks. I had my own room next to ouroffice, with a telephone extension in case of anemergency call‐out. On 5 June (my birthday) Iwent to bed as usual. Shortly after midnight I wasawakened by the Station Band playing “STARSAND STRIPES”. They finished the piece, pausedfor a few minutes then played it again. Anotherpause and then for the third time.I got up and went out to find what was going on.It was the Station's way of bidding farewell toU.S. Army troops boarding aircraft for the D.Daylandings. The sky was filled with planes eachtowing two “Waco” gliders. A truly memorable

letterbox | 11o! o!sight. On the wall in the Sergeants' Mess there

was a huge outline map of Europe. Later that day(6th) a small red flag was pinned to a position onthe coast of Normandy and, as the days passed,somebody coloured in red the occupied areas,which grew and grew. All very heartening.I was one of the lucky ones. I came out of theRAF on a class B release following an applicationby the Council for which I then worked. I washome on a Wednesday and on the followingSunday my Squadron were at sea, scheduled forOkinawa but the Jap war ended and the boyswere diverted to Hong Kong. I had a few cardsfrom them ‐ all in Chinese!Hope you can read my writing. My computer isstill out of action.Yours sincerelyCharles TrippettThank you very much for your interesting letter.Yours is the first, so hopefully there will bemore.From Cliff Coe, Retired Members' WelfareOfficerDear Peter,Scams remain alive and well and multifarious,which seems to indicate that they continue to beprofitable to the perpetrators! Most of us have atone time been "taken in" by some persuaviveadvertisment or doorstep caller. Regrettably, itseems that as we get older we become moresusceptible, even to crude approcahces, whencaught off guard.The Office of Fair Trading has provided two veryuseful pamphlets describing the various deviceswhich unscrupluous organisations or individualsuse to seperate us from our money. Thesepamphlets cost nothing but a telephone call to0800 389 3158 and we feel are essential reading.Yours,Cliff CoeRetired Members' Welfare Officer

Older people must continue to have a voice on theissues that matter to them, general secretary DavePrentis said when he spoke to the national council ofthe National Pensioners Convention (NPC).The NPC is Britain's biggest pensioner organisationrepresenting more than 1,000 local, regional andnational pensioner groups with a total of 1.5mmembers.Taking time out from the union's national leadershipseminar, Mr Prentis told the meeting that he wasprivileged to be the leader of a union with morethan 100,000 retired members.He spoke of the impact of the economic recessionon older people and said the blame lay squarelywith the private sector who had selfishly put thepursuit of profit before all else.As more people fall deeper into poverty and deeperinto debt, it is UNISON members employed in thepublic services that they turn to for help, he said.The union’s Million Voices campaign, he said, "isabout putting people before profit, and puttingpublic services at the heart of our strategy forbuilding a stronger economy and a fairer society."I can assure you that as part of this campaignUNISON will add its million voices to that of the NPCin defending the welfare state and public services."Mr Prentis announced that UNISON will be supportingthe NPC's march and rally on Saturday 10 April todefend the welfare state and public services."There has never been a more urgent or moreappropriate time to show our support for publicservices," he declared, and the April event will playan essential role in countering the attacks on publicservices by the media."It is a fact that the public services are doing moreto help people through this recession, and lay thefoundations for an economic recovery, than anyonein Westminster or the City."

Million Voices tosupport ourpensioners

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