Unite | Stand up for social care
Unite’s Retired Members Stand Up for Social Care
Across the country, vulnerable people are struggling for accessible, affordable, good quality, compassionate social care. Unite’s retired members know that enough is enough; we need the government to act, now.
The campaign has contributed to a major step by the government towards fixing our broken social care system: a commitment to establish a National Care Service by 2030.
Now, Unite retired members are fighting to ensure that this service is publicly owned and funded; centred on strong pay, terms and conditions for care workers; and free from the grasping hands of profiteers who are currently asset stripping our care services.
Unite's demands:
End profiteering in care
Full and fair funding of adult social care, distributed on the basis of need
Establish a National Care Service built on strong workers’ rights
VIDEO: Unite general secretary Sharon Graham speaks to Sophie Ridge and Wilfred Frost on Sky News - September 2026
Standing up for social care at Labour party conference and in the community
Unite retired members kept up pressure for action on social care at this year’s Labour party conference. Inside the conference Unite held had a well-attended fringe event with allies from the Free Home Care campaign, supported by MP John McDonnell and Dame Sally Powell, whilst outside Unite held a demo to target delegates and MPs entering.
Greater Manchester Retired Members branch secretary Stephen Rennie, said: “Our lobby of the Labour party conference this year was good fun, but we need to do much, much better if we are to turn the tide that says overpaying bankers and private equity investors is good economics, but keeping pensioners alive and well is a drain. On our side, we have Sharon Graham, a major force in UK politics when she gets her teeth into an issue.”
Branches across the UK held stalls and demos to call for urgent action to tackle the problems facing our social care systems, and ensure everyone everywhere can access affordable, quality care on International Day of Older Persons.
National Welsh Retired Members’ Committee chair Bryan Godsell said: "International Day of Older Persons is an opportunity recognise and give thanks for the massive contribution that older people have made to society throughout their working lives. It is also an opportunity to recognise the ongoing needs of older people who fully deserve dignity and respect together with an adequate basic income from a state pension and provision of high quality social care to make their lives comfortable in later life!"
Unite's landmark social care survey
Unite conducted a survey of our members to understand the impact of social care privatisation, cuts, and underfunding. More than 1,000 members shared their stories and told us the heartbreaking issues they and their loved ones have experienced with care.
On the 6 August 2026, a delegation of Retired Members met with the UK Government’s Casey Commission, which is looking to reform the care system in England, to give testimonies about the state of care. We also shared the results of our survey, which were collated in the below report. Unite’s Retired Members’ experiences will now inform and shape the recommendations of the commission, and hopefully lead to major social care reform. Read the report below.
Read Unite's Casey Commisssion Social Care Report
Read Unite’s Casey Commission Social Care Report (one page summary version)
Send your MP a postcard to demand fair and full funding for social care!
For 15 years local authorities have faced brutal austerity cuts, with frontline workers and services facing the brunt. This has to stop. The impact of the cuts can be seen in social care, with one in seven paying over £100,000 for their care in a privatised, fragmented system. Families are forced into selling homes, taking on unpaid care roles, and seeing their loved ones suffer from a lack of accessible, affordable support.
Meanwhile, social care and local authority workers have faced years of real term pay cuts, reductions in terms and conditions, fewer resources and job losses. But none of this is necessary. Austerity is a political choice, and we can see that it has failed. We call on the Labour government to do the right thing and fund adult social care fairly.
Materials to share
Download and print your own leaflets and posters to take action on social care in your area.
Downloads
(Selecting a download below will open up a PDF in a new browser tab)Find out more about the Unite campaign for change
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