07/11/2012

SIPTU Members To Stage Rally Outside Leinster House

SIPTU members will stage a rally outside Leinster House at 11.00am today to demand that the Government protect the real value of the State Pension in Budget 2013.

The protest will highlight the fact that the majority of retired people depend on the State Pension to keep them out of poverty and that any cut to its levels would have a devastating impact on older peoples' lives.

They will also be demanding that changes, which came into effect on 1st September 2012 for new claimants of the State Pension and which make it harder for workers with interrupted PRSI records to meet new requirements regarding yearly average social insurance contributions, are reversed.

SIPTU Retired Members Section National Committee member, John Walsh, said: "Many occupational pension schemes are in difficulty due to poor returns on investment and illogical accounting standards. As more workers will rely on social welfare for their retirement income, we must protect State Pensions, not cut them.

"We worked hard all our lives and paid our PRSI contributions for our State Pensions. We've paid for our pensions. We are demanding that the Government protects the pensions we have already paid for."

(CD/GK)

Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

13 March 2024
Translink Workers Reject Pay Offer
Translink NI workers have rejected a pay offer from the public transport company. Unite, GMB and SIPTU confirmed that their members has "decisively voted to reject as inadequate" a pay offer made by Translink management. Workers were offered a 5% pay increase and a non-consolidated one-off payment of £1,500 for the 2023-2024 financial year.
21 April 2010
Tánaiste Calls On Bank Boss To 'Reflect On Public's Anger'
The Tánaiste is calling on the Bank of Ireland Chief Executive to reflect on the 'anger' surrounding his €1.5 million pension top-up. The call comes within days of the Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív's challenge to Bank of Ireland chief executive, Richie Boucher, to refuse a €1.5 million pension top-up.
18 November 2016
Party's Call For Govt Action On Gender Pension Gap
Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have both called for government action on the gender pension gap. FF have tabled an amendment to the Social Welfare Bill which would see the eligibility criteria for the State pension reviewed to ensure that women who took time out of work to look after children or to care for a loved one, are not penalised.
25 April 2013
Govt Loses Waterford Crystal Pension Case
Waterford Crystal workers have won their European Court of Justice challenge against the State for the loss of their pensions when the company went bankrupt. When the company collapsed in 2009 1,500 workers were told they would receive only between 18% and 28% of their full pension entitlements.
29 May 2008
Conference On Pensions Time-Bomb Gets Underway
A conference discussing ways to tackle the pensions 'time-bomb' is due to get underway in Dublin this morning. More than a million Irish workers have no private pension and may be entirely reliant on the state pension when they retire. At present, there are just six salaried workers paying tax for every person claiming the state pension.