WELCOME TO THE RECKITT BENCKISER PENSIONERS’ ASSOCIATION

About the Reckitt Benckiser Pensioners’ Association

The Reckitt and Colman families, founders of the companies which would become a worldwide business linking both their names, instilled and maintained a strong Victorian ethic of employee welfare. This not only included the first company pension schemes but also a concern for, and a service to, retired employees.

This was maintained until the final years of the 20th century when the combination of increased state welfare provisions and the economic pressures on the manufacturers of consumer products in highly competitive markets led to a reduction in the services offered to former employees.

In the close-knit communities in and around the company’s UK factories there was concern at reductions in the Pensioner Visitors service whereby pensioners were visited on a regular basis. Discussions on the provision of a voluntary service led to the establishment of an organisation with a much wider role, the Reckitt & Colman Pensioners’ Association, formed in 1994. Membership is free and automatic for all pensioners from their day of retirement.

Functioning independently of the company but funded by it, the Association operates (mainly for the purpose of visitor organisation) through three regional groups – Southern, Northern and Eastern Regions embracing the main present and former manufacturing locations. Its primary objective is to maintain and improve links between pensioners, the Pensions Department and the Company.

The volunteer visitor service provides a link through telephone and personal visit. A newsletter, iContact, provides a regular source of information. “Get-togethers” and other events are organised by the regions. The Association has the right to elect a pensioner trustee to serve on the board of the Reckitt Benckiser Pension Fund.

iContact enhances the service to the emerging generation of on-line members world-wide.