Northern Ireland lecturers strike in pensions row

“Around 50,000 students across Northern Ireland have been affected by strike action as university lecturers took to the picket line in a row over pensions …” (more)

[Belfast Telegraph, 22 March]

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Northern Ireland university lecturers stage strike

“Strike action by university lecturers will affect about 50,000 students in Northern Ireland …” (more)

[BBC News, 21 March]

Queen’s University and University of Ulster staff to strike over pensions row

“Thousands of Northern Ireland’s students will miss out on classes on Monday as university staff are set to strike …” (more)

[Belfast Telegraph, 19 March]

Teachers’ pay and pensions cost €45m more than expected

“Teachers’ pay and pensions cost €45 million more than expected last year despite Government efforts to cut costs in the public service …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 19 January]

Ictu, Most Unions Silent On Public Sector Pension Cuts‏

“Only IFUT and TUI proposed doing anything about Public Sector Pension Cuts. INTO and INMO mentioned the cuts in statements. There was no mention of the cuts on Websites of the following bodies: ICTU, SIPTU, ASTI, CPSU, PSEU, IMPACT …” (more)

[Paddy Healy, Indymedia Ireland, 14 December]

Retired public-sector workers face pension cuts in December’s budget

“Over 100,000 retired state workers may be facing a cut in their public-sector pensions in the December budget, the Sunday Tribune has learned …” (more)

[Shane Coleman, Sunday Tribune, 14 November]

Retired public service staff likely to have pensions cut

“Speculation is mounting that the Government will cut the pensions of existing public service pensioners in the upcoming budget …” (more)

[Stephen Rogers, Irish Examiner, 6 November]

Trick or Threat

“… The item goes on to say: ‘It also disclosed the public service pensions bill will increase from 0.5% of GNP to almost 2% by mid-century, almost €8bn per annum in current terms. Some commentators have said such a development is unsustainable’. Which commentators? Where? On the basis of what research? …” (more)

[Slí Eile, progressive-economy@TASC, 25 October]

UCD staff buy pensions at 1% rate

“Staff retiring from University College Dublin are buying back just over three-and-a-half years of their pension before retirement. The news was confirmed by UCD President Hugh Brady in a letter sent to the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 19 October]

Irish taxpayer to provide €1bn bail-out of FÁS and university pension funds

“As the Government scratches around to find more than €4bn to reduce the deficit in its forthcoming budget, it has been revealed that the Irish taxpayer is stuck with a €1bn bill to bail-out the pension funds of State agencies like FÁS and public bodies such as the universities …” (more)

[Michael Hennigan, Finfacts, 12 October]

Smaller pensions and later retirement for new civil servants

“Public servants recruited from next January will have to make do with a reduced pension and a later retirement age under new pension cutback plans announced by the Department of Finance last week …” (more)

[Martin Frawley, Sunday Tribune, 10 October]

Public service pensions bill rises to €129bn

“The total cost of paying public service pensions has risen to €129 billion despite government measures aimed at reducing the soaring pensions bill …” (more)

[Juno McEnroe, Irish Examiner, 16 September]

Unjustified Attack on Public Sector Pensions – 1-page resource

“Following a good suggestion from Denis O’Boyle who is also a member of the A.S.T.I. Pensions Committee, attached is a one page document with information about public service pensions that can be used to ‘win the argument’, confront politicians or write reply letters to newspapers when writers criticise us our pension arrangements …” (more)

[Seán Fallon, Paddy Healy’s Blog, 20 May]

Cowen refuses to guarantee pensions will not be cut

“Pensions were still under threat of budget cuts last night as Brian Cowen refused to guarantee they would be saved from the axe. With ministers seeking €3 billion worth of cuts as the lengthy pre-budget horse-trading begins in Government, the Taoiseach insisted he was not ‘softening-up’ pensioners for bad news …” (more)

[Shaun Connolly, Irish Examiner, 15 May]

Minister hopes to drive a stake through public service pensions

“The following quotes from this year’s budget speech are very worrying: ‘The Government has decided … by the end of the year … it will change the calculation of benefits so that pensions are based on “career average” earnings rather than final salary on retirement as at present …'” (more)

[Sean Fallon, Paddy Healy’s Blog, 14 May]

Pensions endangered by Croke Park Proposals

“Firstly, word games – and the expression ‘The Croke Park Deal’. As you know it is not a ‘Croke Park Deal’ at all but rather a ‘Croke Park Proposal’. It would only be a deal if the parties involved agreed to it. I think that by calling it a Deal the Government and ICTU are trying to give it more credibility than it deserves in the hope of a yes vote that suits their purposes rather than ours …” (more)

[Sean Fallon, Paddy Healy’s Blog, 6 May]

College benefits to cost taxpayer

“University chiefs are to be questioned about giving expensive pension top-ups to staff against government advice. The Dáil Public Accounts Committee will ask the college heads to explain why millions of euro were awarded to senior staff and professors in extra benefits last year …” (more)

[Anne-Marie Walsh, Independent, 19 April]

€22m cost of colleges’ pension gift

“Professors and senior staff at Irish universities are being gifted ‘free’ pension years at a cost of tens of millions of euros each year to the taxpayer. Despite a directive from the Department of Finance last year to cut back on all discretionary payments to staff, five universities have given 748 free pension years to 200 retiring employees …” (more)

[Sarah McInerney, Sunday Times, 18 April]

Talks focus on public sector pension reform before moving to key pay issue

“Government representatives were last night said to be tabling proposals on the reform of public sector pensions before the talks with the unions move on to the key issue of how reforms will be measured, and the system for the reversal of recent public sector wage cuts …” (more)

[Scott Millar, Irish Examiner, 30 March]

Employees to work to 68 and pay into mandatory pension

“Ordinary employees will be obliged to pay a pension tax and work until they are 68 under a national framework unveiled by the Government. The mandatory pension scheme will be introduced in 2014 and involve workers on an average industrial wage of €30,000 per annum paying €18 a week …” (more)

[Conor Ryan, Irish Examiner, 4 March]