Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

San olltoghchán deireanach in 2020, sheol vótálaithe teachtaireacht láidir agus soiléir gur cheart go mbeadh an deis agus an ceart ag daoine éirí as obair ag 65 bliain d’aois agus an pinsean a bheith acu. Go simplí, baineann seo le cearta agus le cothrom na féinne. Nuair a bhíonn 65 bliain d’aois sroichte ag daoine agus iad ag obair, ba cheart go mbeadh an seans acu éirí as. Tá a gcuid sealanna déanta acu agus a gcuid cáin íoctha acu. Ba chóir go mbeadh an ceart sin bainte amach acu agus cead acu éirí as obair ag 65 agus an pinsin a fháil. Níl seo le fáil acu áfach, agus tá sé soiléir go bhfuil an Rialtas ag diúltú seo go fóill.

At the last general election in 2020, voters sent a very clear and loud message that people have the right to retire at the age of 65 years and this is simply about fairness. When people have reached the age of 65 they have worked their shifts and they have paid their dues. If a person is working on their feet all day, whether on a construction site, in a hairdresser's, in hospitality or on a factory floor, they cannot be expected to continue working beyond the pension age. All workers, when they reach that age, must be given the freedom to choose to retire or work on if they wish. Workers need to know the Government will treat them fairly and protect their rights.

However, let us be clear this is a Government, and indeed two parties, that legislated to increase the retirement age to 68 years. It was only Sinn Féin and public pressure at the last election that put a stop to that. People have been waiting for years for the Government to outline a very clear roadmap and hoping that roadmap would tell them they have the right to down tools at the age of 65 if they choose to. They will be sorely disappointed today, because this Government is telling that brickie, that hairdresser and that waitress is they do not have the right to retire at the age of 65. This Government has again let them down. It has fudged its responsibility and is abandoning workers in this regard. The various options developed and the data gathered by the Pensions Commission made it clear it was possible to put the Social Insurance Fund on a sustainable footing and afford the people the right to retire on a pension at the age of 65.

Despite this, the plan announced today still does not give workers the right to retire at the age of 65. This is a core commitment we in Sinn Féin would deliver in government. Sinn Féin's proposal to increase employer's PRSI on the portion of pay above €100,000 would immediately cover the cost of introducing the right to retire on a pension for those who have reached the age of 65 years. We are clear about delivering this important right in a way that is sustainable and gives workers certainty and security. This is security people at work need. In construction sites, restaurants, hairdresser's and factory floors across this State people who need to prepare and plan and who deserve to know that after a lifetime of work they will be treated with fairness and respect by a system they have paid into all their lives. I ask the Taoiseach, because workers need to know, why this Government is still refusing to give people the right to retire at the age of 65 on a pension if they choose to and when will the Government wake up to the reality and treat workers with the respect they deserve.

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