Pam Flynn, secretary of the Greater Manchester Group and Harry Brett, Regional Representative for the Northwest attended the Unite Union organised protest on the loss of the winter fuel payment outside the Labour Party Conference on Monday 23rd September. The weather was horrendous, but even so they together with numerous Unite members, members representing the Northwest Pensioners Association (National Pensioners Convention) and the Merseyside Pensioners Association remained there making as much noise as they could demanding that the Labour Government re-instate the winter fuel allowance and alternatively tax the rich. They remained there from 11-00am until 1-30pm, despite the weather conditions. Pam and Harry are both members of the NWPA, being representatives from the Manchester Group. Pam is the Chair of the NWPA and Harry sits on the executive council, as also does Peter Sanger, also from the Manchester Group.

In the photographs attached to the report – in photo 1 you can just make out Harry holding the ‘S’ up in the ‘FREEZE PROFITS NOT PEOPLE’ together with the Unite Union members. In photo 2, he together with Pam are holding the NWPA banner and the 3rd photograph shows the members of the NWPA who also turned out for the Protest.

There was a series of speeches from members of the Unite executive, the retired section of Unite and the Merseyside Pensioners, all condemning the Labour Government, many with incredulity that these proposals could have come from the Labour Party. The unions were hoping to have a vote at the conference that day, but it has now been put off until Wednesday at the end of conference.

Harry also attended the National Pensioners Convention, which was held at Blackpool on the 3rd and 4th September, as a representative from NWPA and he will be attending the Prison Governors Conference on 7th and 8th October, putting up the CSPA stand and hoping to recruit some new members.