The Benevolent Fund was introduced as a Union member benefit on 1st January 2008 and has been a great success with members from all across the UK.
Members from a great variety of backgrounds and sectors have applied to the Fund and the Benevolent Fund Committee has been proud to help those experiencing genuine financial hardship.
Members’ financial information is confidential, but the following case studies are based on real members, who have kindly agreed to allow us to provide details of their circumstances:
Case Study 1:
“A member from the footwear industry was incapacitated in March 2008. The member was off work for a considerable time and as a result, the member’s household income was significantly reduced. Initially the member received sick pay, but 6 months later this was exhausted and he received no income. Whilst the member had the foresight to take out mortgage protection insurance, he was unable to pay his remaining household bills. The member used up all of his savings and was finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet. It was not long before the member was in debt. He had to rely on credit cards to pay his bills.
The member sought advice from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau with regard to debt management and a debt management programme was put into place.
The member made an application to the Benevolent Fund Committee who considered the member’s case to be one of genuine financial hardship and a donation was made.
The member was extremely pleased to receive the donation and expressed his gratitude to the Committee and the Union.
The Committee truly hopes that the donation will go some way to helping this member out of financial difficulty.”
Case Study 2:
“A member from the North West was admitted to hospital in June 2008 with a serious medical condition. The member worked two jobs, but was unable to work at all for several months due to her condition. The member received a very small sick pay allowance, but this fell short of her normal pay by a considerable margin. The member was unable to meet her mortgage or any of her household bills and sought assistance from her friends and family.
Friends and family were able to help, but this was limited. The member applied to the Benevolent Fund and provided the Committee with a detailed schedule of her income and expenditure. The Committee accepted that this member had nowhere else to turn and was in genuine need of financial assistance. A donation was made out of the fund.
The member was extremely grateful for the donation and sent a ‘thank you’ card to the Committee.
The Committee wishes this member a speedy recovery from her medical condition and hopes that the donation will go some way to assist her in her time of need.”
Since the beginning of 2008 many other members experiencing similar financial difficulties have received donations from the Benevolent Fund.
The Union is proud to help real people with real difficulties and this will continue in 2009 and beyond.
Let Community know when you've changed your details, so we can keep you up-to-date with news, events and action in your workplace