Bríd Smith presses for overdue 2% rise for On Post retired workers
Deputy Bríd Smith urged the minister to secure a long-overdue 2% pay increase for On Post retired workers who have not received the rise after ten months. She said she will bring a bill to committee soon and highlighted the wider impact of austerity on public sector pensions.
Pensioner rights and retired workers
Deputy Bríd Smith warned that public discussion about pensioners often overlooks that many are retired workers entitled to pension increases. She pressed the minister on unpaid entitlements and emphasised that these are not "gold-plated" civil service pensions but ordinary pensions owed to former CIE, On Post, RTE and ESB workers.
Austerity cuts cited
She pointed to the austerity measures of 2011-2012 as having badly hit public sector pensions and argued this cohort continues to feel the effects. Deputy Smith said many retired public servants are still awaiting increases that are due to them.
Direct request to the minister
Deputy Smith asked why On Post retired workers have not received a 2% increase after ten months and urged the minister to intervene to ensure the payments are released. She told the chamber she hopes to table a bill on the matter soon and sought a clear answer and remedy.
Minister's response
The minister said the matter would be raised with the relevant minister but could not explain why the increase had not been paid. The minister highlighted support for pensioners through the Department of Social Protection, acknowledged that some public sector retirees do not receive a contributory state pension, and noted a €12 increase this year alongside double payments as improving the position for pensioners.
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Minister, there's a lot of talk about pensioners and their rights and their poverty and the way they live but there's another aspect to pensioners that we are losing sight of and that is they're retired workers and many of them have pensions that they're entitled to have and to have increases in. One cohort that's been badly hit by the austerity in 2011-2012 are public sector pensions. I'm not talking about gold-plated, top civil servant style or our style or minister style pensions. I'm talking about people like CIE, on post, retired workers, in RTE, in ESB etc. There's a bill I hope to have before committee soon on this but specifically can you tell me why after 10 months with 2% due to them, on post, retired workers have not received their pay increase and why they are forced to live without that money while it's held in somebody else's pockets? Can you please answer that? And if you can intervene, can you make sure that those retired workers from on post get their 2%? That's long overdue to them. Thank you. No, Deputy, I would certainly raise that with the relevant minister. I don't know why I can't answer you that question. But what I do know is that I have been supporting pensioners through the Department of Social Protection and I acknowledge that some public sector workers don't get a contributory state pension when they retire. But my focus has been to increase that and the €12 increase this year, along with all the double payments that they're receiving, has certainly improved the situation for pensioners across the country. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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