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CHAIRMAN’S REPORTWelcome to 2005 this is the first newsletter of the year, 2004 was concluded by our Xmas Lunch, which I am sure that those who attended really enjoyed. The rest of the year was helped along by the two days out and the short break. Talking of the short break, there were two hitches in the normally smooth as silk arrangements, firstly although Torquay was agreed upon when bookings were taken it was obviously not a popular choice, so David rebooked the venue to Lytham St Annes, slightly better response, but not up to our usual numbers. That being so, this year David has almost certainly decided on Llandudno at the Imperial Hotel, with Best Western facilities, at least judging by last years experience it was a good hotel with excellent facilities, he has again, with support from all who went last year, decided to continue with Rover Travel, now all we want is your support, do come, it is really good to have time with your colleagues and visit some of the best scenery in Wales, I hope I am right in saying, book early to ensure your place! |
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The two days out were first class. These trips often result in the generation of new friendships. One serious problem still exists; your committee are not getting any younger and as an association we would like to think we are firmly in touch with our membership. If all our pleas for members to join the committee fall on deaf ears, at least let the existing committee know your views - good or bad - about how your association is run. If we do not know what the problem is, we cannot fix it. Elsewhere in this newsletter Bill Brand has summarised the position very well, If BAE systems had more money I can assure you we would be in there battling for improved pensions for all. We know the situation is far from perfect, so we try to get improvements that do not cost money. These can vary from information to associations like ours to improving the insensitive letters that are sent to relatives of pensioners that have died. Just to give you an idea of the difficulties we encounter, after five years of talking and writing acceptable letters the pensions department agreed on the format, but they then said it would have to go before the trustees, (we do not know why) it was put to the trustees who rejected it; for what reasons we do not yet know. It is this sort of filibustering on many subjects that is so frustrating to your pension representatives (Peter Aze and David Moakes), and the Area 8 committee. We have just heard that David Moakes has been appointed a Trustee in place of Tony Dudman. Finally, may I wish you all a very satisfactory new year, and I hope to see you at our social events and the A G M where we hope to have an Airbus representative to give us a talk on how Airbus is doing, or perhaps what they are doing. Frank. |