THE UNIONS AND representative bodies of the country’s uniform services have called for immediate government action to resolve a “pension injustice” their members are suffering. 

Firefighters, Prison Officers, Gardaí and members of the Defence Forces held a rally yesterday in Dublin and outlined that an unfair pension regime with leave their members suffering financial hardship for years after their statutory retirement age.

They have launched a Secure our Futures campaign to fight for a change to the pension scheme. 

The issue, according to SIPTU, centres around a flaw in entitlements that will stop retiring members from getting the money they paid in during their service. 

The union has said that public service pension reforms, introduced for entrants after 2013, known as the “single scheme” will cause significant problems for members of the emergency services and military because their faster-accruing pensions cause them to retire earlier than other State employees such as civil servants. 

One of the groups at the event was the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO).

Its General Secretary, lieutenant Colonel Conor King, said that the nature of the work means that his members must retire earlier but that Government have never taken account for that issue. 

“The reason that the supplementary pension was brought in for the Uniformed Services is because of the onerous nature of their roles, which include night work, robust operations, overseas service, work at sea and in the air. This work naturally reduces the years you can be in the service and that is why you must retire early.

“The Government’s one-size-fits-all approach to pension provision means they are not serious about operational capacity across all four Uniformed Services. That impacts on these critical services and on State security,” he said.

Garda Representative Association (GRA) General Secretary, Ronan Slevin, said that there is growing anger for members of An Garda Síochána who joined after 2013. 

He said that members feel “feel betrayed by the Government due to its failure to honour commitments on pension reform”.

“The current structure of the pension scheme means that those who joined since 2013 are expected to subsist on a vastly reduced income for the first years of their retirement, before they become eligible for their full pensions at 66 years of age,” he added. 

Karl Dalton of the Prison Officers Association said that all the uniformed services were united to fight for removal of what he said was the unfair burden on their members. 

“These workers give everything they have during their working lives in highly stressful roles assisting the community, which studies have shown leads to an increased likelihood of disability or illness. That we are now asking young people to join these services without any security for their retirement.”

SIPTU organiser Geoff McEvoy, represents firefighters and he said that Fianna Fáil must commit to meeting its commitment during the recent election to review the issue.  

“Our members feel betrayed but are hopeful that the new Minister can provide clarity and reassurance on the new Government’s position,” he added.