The National Pensioners Convention (NPC)
was formed in 1979 to act as the umbrella organisation of the pensioners' movement, throughout the country.
Their affiliated groups include many national bodies and federations, associations of retired trade unionists, as well as hundreds of local and regional pensioner campaign groups.
Pensioner movement elects first woman leader
Britain's
biggest pensioner organisation - the National
Pensioners Convention (NPC) - has chosen its first
female general secretary in its 30 year history.
Dot
Gibson, a 74-year-old Londoner from Islington, was elected
with 63% of the vote at the NPC's special delegate
conference taking place this week in Coventry.
Ms
Gibson started her working life with the Transport and
General Workers' Union and eventually became a type-setter
in publishing. In the early 1990s, she went six times to
Bosnia as part of the Workers' Aid convoys and towards the
end of the decade edited the Liverpool dockers' newspaper
during their 28-month dispute.
For the last four years, Ms Gibson has been a vice president
of the NPC and secretary of its Greater London region.
Ms Gibson said: "The campaigns
and concerns of Britain's older population are not just for
today's pensioners, but for our children and grandchildren.
Everyone needs a living state pension that gives them
security in retirement without the need for means-testing,
and how we care for our ageing society, where they live, the
rights they have and the services available to them must
also be at the top of the political agenda. With the general
election fast approaching, all political parties will have
to take the demands of the pensioners' movement seriously
and we will be stepping up our campaign to ensure they do."
ENDS
For more information contact Neil Duncan-Jordan on
07940-357-608
·
Ms Gibson is elected for a two-year term of
office but is able to re-stand if she wishes
·
The NPC was originally formed in 1979 by Jack
Jones, who became its first president
·
The NPC has an affiliated membership of 1.5m active in over
1000 groups across the UK
·
Ms Gibson will appear on Question Time Extra on the BBC News
Channel at 11.35pm on 26 March 2009
The NPC DVD is available from the NPC
at £3.00 plus post & Packing