Irene Graham shares the story and strategy of one Unite branch’s successful campaign to increase pensioners’ income, initiated by the late Sammy Morris.
In 2022, when Sammy Morris was in hospital, he was visited by his friend Tommy Gorman, a volunteer at the Clydebank Asbestos Group (CAG). Tommy asked Sammy if he got Attendance Allowance. Sammy replied that he had both his state and work pensions and so assumed he would not qualify. Tommy pointed out that Attendance Allowance is not means tested and is tax exempt. He supported Sammy to apply. When Sammy received the higher rate, he was amazed. The allowance made an enormous difference.
Being a staunch trade unionist, Sammy entreated Unite Retired Members Glasgow and Renfrewshire Branch to learn more about the entitlement and to let all members know about it, encouraging them to apply. The branch took up Sammy’s call. We invited CAG to address the branch and share their expertise with us and we reached out to our members, just by word of mouth at first. Those were the seeds of our partnership with CAG and our project to support members to claim the income that they are entitled to, enabling them to ease the financial cost associated with ill health and disabling conditions, and to improve their quality of life.
Pension Age Disability Payment, which replaced Attendance Allowance in Scotland in 2025, is a benefit for adults of State Pension age or over who live in Scotland. Its purpose is to assist with the extra costs of a long-term physical or mental health condition. Yet many eligible households do not apply. This can be because of the difficulty of trying to navigate a benefits system which is new for many pensioners. It can be down to lack of awareness, or the fear of filling lengthy forms which take a long time to complete for those without experience. Some worry about disclosing personal information, while others fear being caught up in a scam. That is why accurate advice and information is so important for those who are approaching retirement, to ensure that they do not lose out on money they are entitled to.
When Attendance Allowance became the Pension Age Disability Payment and the responsibility of the Scottish Government, the previous 29-page form became 89 pages, and there is now a two-step process for applying. The application form looks daunting and can take up to three hours to complete. This is why the main activity of our joint project has been to assist members with claims at every stage of the process. Members of the branch attended training run by CAG and we now have a team of volunteers ready to assist members with the application process. We aim to reach every member, inform them, and encourage them to apply. With 4421 members, most of whom are not on email, we know that we have a challenge.
Our chairperson Jake McLeod and representatives from CAG met with Unite’s Regional Secretary to discuss potential support for this project, initially as a pilot based in Glasgow but with the ultimate aim of reaching all retired members in Scotland. One idea was that Unite employ a Welfare Rights Worker, but that was not possible. Instead Unite Scotland agreed to cover the cost of sending letters with reply-paid envelopes to retired members on a staggered basis, first targeting Clydebank and its surrounding areas.
By reaching members by post, word of mouth, and emails we have so far made 140 successful claims for this and other benefits. These include several claims for Pension Credit, Carers Allowance and Adult Disability Payment; but the focus has been on Pension Age Disability Payment claims, which is paid at two levels that increase annually in line with other welfare benefits. In April 2026, the higher rate increases from £110.40 to £114.60 a week. Before the increase, this amounted to £5,740.80 per year. Several couples have successfully made claims, resulting in additional annual incomes of £11,481.60 for these households. The total financial gains so far have exceeded £870,000. The awards made are not one offs, but annual.
Branch Commitment
The Branch has invested heavily in this project. It has covered catering costs of training sessions with CAG volunteers, which over twenty members have attended. Training will continue to ensure we remain up to date with changes and to add to our cohort of trained members. We now aim to build capacity of other retired members branches to take on similar projects. Not all branches have the capacity to mirror Glasgow, but all can play a significant role in reaching, informing and supporting members to apply. For example, when the Glasgow branch secretary visited the Ayr branch to talk about the project, the Ayr branch agreed to inform members and encourage them to use the range of welfare advice experts in their area to make an application. The branch also agreed to compile a list of welfare advice agencies in the area and to circulate this to members. The Borders branch is now beginning its own pilot.
When the project first began, we were concerned that many members were facing severe financial hardship caused by Conservative austerity policies. We were all having to deal with an increase in the cost of living, especially in food and energy prices. We were anxious that the Triple Lock was in danger and that the value of pensions would diminish. With the election of the Labour Government, the austerity policies not only continued but got worse when the new government announced that the universal Winter Fuel Payment would now only be awarded to pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit, a vastly underclaimed benefit. Unite nationally and locally was at the forefront of the campaign to force a government U-turn on Winter Fuel Payment. Energy and food prices have continued to rise and, thanks to fiscal drag, many pensioners are worse off now due to paying more tax. The job of ensuring members get their due entitlements is needed more than ever.
Retired members branches can play a key role in raising awareness, signposting, and providing one to one support for members to complete the application process. In our branch, we are proud that we have raised over £870,000 for our members. We know we have only reached a small fraction of those who could make a successful claim. We are redoubling our efforts to reduce pensioner poverty and win the money to which retired union members are entitled. Shared knowledge will be key to our success. Without the foresight of Sammy Morris, this project would not have happened. It is a fitting legacy of dedicated, fighting trade unionist who sadly passed away in August 2024.
Irene Graham is the Branch Secretary of Unite the Union Retired Members Glasgow Branch.