Public Pensions Class A

When applying for a job, most people don't consider the pension scheme until near retirement unfortunately.

This scheme was changed in 1994 and again in 2004 I think.

For people who joined state bodies in 1994 they were told the pension would work out the same and it does in theory, but there are strings attached!

If your retire early you apply for Job Seekers Benefit . To get this you must be looking for work. Only in Ireland would someone come up with this!

How the union that I paid into agreed to this I'll never know.

After that you go back to your employer with cap in hand and they may give you a Supplementary Pension to match the equivalent of the pre 95 employees.

If you see a part time work,even for a few hours per week, even if it was for 1 hour per week, then you will lose the Supplementary pension from your employer.

So in effect if you retire before 66 you are locked out of work until you get to 66, when you then get the state pension, you lose the Supplementary pension and then your pension is not affected by working.

Its incredible that in this day and age regulations exist to inhibit retired people from taking up work.

As far as I know this applies to all public sector employees including nurses and other clinical staff!

On one hand there is no mandatory retirement age but, but early retirees have their pension reduced substantially if they work even part time.

So as people wishing to retire out of the public sector, giving young people the chance to get a job, they are now being advised to stay on.

Many who leave are unaware of these strings attached and are left in this limbo.

Of course this was perhaps all done when people thought the country could not afford the pensions and unemployment was much higher.

But does not suits the condition of the day.

When were wasting huge public money on white elephants, massively expensive computer systems that fail to be utilised etc etc I could go on.

It's no wonder Seinn Fein are now doing so well at the polls, I am not a die hard republican, but I voted for them at the last election when they said they would lower the pension age back to 65.

Suddenly Fine Gael and Finn Faill were in a rush to cost it and implement a dramatic u turn! Suddenly it was cost effective!

The country still need these workers filling some roll, were in full employment. It's right for so many reasons rather than keeping them at home!

And a lot of small businesses can't get staff of any age, I wonder why?

I hope this doesn't sound like a big rant!

Civil Service, May 96

The reference re Sinn Fein is because they did very well at the last election, but one major reason was their pledge to bring down the retirement age back to 65.

I believe this with other issues made a lot of older voters decide to vote for them.

Obviously until your nearer your retirement you don't really consider your pension much.

So for most people they dont care, but there is now a sizeable majority of older public servants nurses etc who expect a pension with the option to continue to work if they so wish.

The government always plays the 'we can't afford it card'

But we can afford the children's hospital which will end up costing 6 billion, the compensation for the cervical testing scandal another 500 million...the list goes on...

I'm all for all of the above, but money doesn't seem to be a problem, but the retirement age must go up!

Again I hope this is not a rant but an observation.

Look this discussion is about the class A stamp, not Sein Fein...

Like everything in Ireland someone thought this was a crafty move leaving nurses and Garda in a difficult position...

I don't think you understand what's being discussed!

Great article in the Irish Times about retiring Garda who will now have to make fraudulent JSB claims....

https://archive.ph/2024.05.23-070438/https%3A//www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2024/05/23/gardai-say-those-retiring-from-november-will-have-to-make-false-declaration-that-they-are-available-for-work/