Retired public servants demand pension restoration

An association for retired public servants claims that tens of thousands of the State’s former employees will die without getting access to their full pensions unless the date for restoration is brought forward.

In a submission to the Public Service Pay Commission, the Alliance of Retired Public Servants (ARPS) said the current project date for full pension restoration is 2021 under the Programme for Partnership Government.

“On average about 4,000 retired public servants die each year so if the current completion date of 2021 is stuck with, over 40,000 people will have died by that time on reduced pensions [since 2011] — pensions that they contributed to during their working lives. This is why we think it’s only fair that the Government should bring forward the date from 2021,” said ARPS chairman, Brian Burke.