The National Federation Pensioners’ Association (NFPA) held a meeting at the Metroploe Hotel, Cork to-day. A total of 40 people attended which included 16 GSRMA members. During the meeting Pat Lehane (GSRMA Central Committee) made a brief presentation on the Amending FEMPI 2015 Legislation -v- Pension Restoration. Hereunder is a snap-shot of Pat’s presentation:
“Since the foundation of the state two tranches of Emergency Legislation has been introduced, (i) The Offences Against The State Act, 1939 and (ii) FEMPI Legislation which was made Law in 2009 to legalise the reduction of Pay and Pensions in the public sector. In 2011 and 2013 both pay and pensions were cut.
FEMPI amending legislation was introduced in 2015 to only partially restore, in a piecemeal manner,the said cut to pensions. This partial restoration is over a 3 year period from 2016 to 2018 and will amount to €1,680.00. This will still leave pensioners being deducted for the following years, because the deduction was somewhere in the region of €2,500.00 p.a.( Depending on rank) This shortfall will continue to be deduced in the years post 2018 unless legislation is changed.
Another anomaly of the legislation concerns members who retired before 1/03/2012. They endured ONE pay cut. As they had taken ONE pay cut, their pension and gratuity was based on the pay as cut. They are NOT entitled to a pension restoration, because they had no pension cut and neither are they entitled to a pay restoration as they are no longer employees.
The same anomaly as above applies to those who retired after the 1/03/2012 and before the 1/O7/2013. They endured TWO pay cuts and their pension and gratuity is based on their pay as cut. They are NOT entitled to any pension or pay restoration.
The latter TWO situations will prove very costly for these members during the years to come, unless the legislation is changed and this can only be done through political intervention. – Now is the time to act.
Minister Noonan as late as last Sunday night stated ,on television, that the Emergency was over, if so, why is FEMI being retained on the books ?. The answer is very simple, the World situation presently is not in a good place and should this get any worse our economy could falter. In such a situation the Public Sector pensioner and worker will be the fall guy,once again”.
Many thanks to Pat Lehane, Killarney.
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