‘Dictatorship’ claim over public sector pension cuts plan

The Government is operating undemocratically and akin to a “dictatorship” by pursuing cuts to the incomes of more than 20,000 public service pensioners without any form of consultation with those affected, it has been claimed.

The Alliance of Retired Public Servants, an umbrella body whose constituent organisations represent 33,000 retired public servants, has made numerous requests to the Department of Public Enterprise and Reform to have an involvement in the discussions on the Croke Park II savings.

At the start of January, when negotiations on the new agreement were ongoing, the alliance wrote to Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin seeking an input. They received a response saying the first Croke Park deal was negotiated and agreed as an industrial relations agreement between public service employers and unions. “The agreement does not encompass retired public servants and their pension entitlements,” the minister’s office said in the letter. “Current discussions in relation to an extension of the Public Service Agreement are being conducted on a similar basis.”

The alliance wrote to the minister’s office again in February when rumours began that pensions could be affected. However, they received no response.

On Mar 2 a third letter was sent to the minister in which the alliance said it had learnt through the media that pension cuts ranging from a minimum of 2% at €32,500 and a maximum of 5% at €100,000 was to be taken from the pensioners.

It also said if normal pension rules apply, surviving spouses will be liable for pension cuts at €16,125 per annum.

“We believe that basic fairness requires that public service pensioners, no less than serving public servants, be given an opportunity to have an input through their representatives before decisions are taken on matters which affect their incomes,” the pensioners’ body wrote.

Yesterday, alliance spokesman Seán Ó Ríordáin, said the use of emergency powers to take money from people without consultation was akin to something that would happen in a dictatorship.

“We realise the difficulties faced by the Government and we are prepared to pay our fair share,” he said.

“There are others there who get substantially more and the Government are not targeting them.”