Call to reduce women’s pension payments

WOMEN who returned to work in the civil service following the removal of the marriage bar are now faced with huge costs as they seek to build up pension entitlements.

This claim was made at the annual conference of the Civil, Public and Services Union (CPSU), which called for a reduction in the amount of money the 2,000 women have to pay.

Prior to the adoption of EU equality legislation in 1974, women had to resign from the civil service upon getting married. When they resigned, they were paid a marriage gratuity as some compensation for lost pension entitlements.