Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Bríd Smith for her work on this Bill. The Social Democrats are very aware of the many groups and individuals who have worked over many years on the issues raised in the Bill. There are many organisations involved and they have made a very convincing case in regard to protecting their pension rights. It is very clear that the groups behind this Bill want to ensure that the voice of pensioners is heard loud and clear when decisions are made which affect pensioners. These groups and organisations represent a wide range of people from different sectors, and they have paid into pension schemes throughout their working lives.

In recent years, pensioners in receipt of occupational pensions have experienced the impact of FEMPI. In many cases which have been highlighted, pensioners have not experienced the benefit of an increase in their pension for a decade or more. We have seen the closure of some occupational pension schemes, which has had a serious impact on people whose incomes were affected. These occupational pensions can be understood as deferred wages so, when a person’s income in retirement does not keep pace with what he or she expected, that person has a very legitimate grievance.

Currently, people with an issue relating to their pensions can use the offices of the Pensions Authority or the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, but those options are only available to pensioners as individuals. What pensioners are seeking is an opportunity to have a seat at the table when decisions are being made which affect them collectively. Employers are very well used to the industrial relations machinery of the State, and the Workplace Relations Commission in particular. Employers, including the State, deal collectively with employees all of the time through negotiations with unions. Changes in terms and conditions, pay and other issues affecting working life are addressed at the Workplace Relations Commission, day in, day out.

Pensioners are looking for avenues to deal with their issues collectively. They want a seat at the table before decisions are made and an avenue to effectively pursue their grievances.

One of the issues the Social Democrats are particularly concerned about is that of pension provision for retired women. There is a huge amount of work to be done to rebalance the lives of women in retirement. Women who have been out of the workplace for a number of years often feel the impact of that on their income when they retire. Many women, particularly those in jobs and professions which are traditionally female dominated, want to be in a position to seek fair pensions and proper income in retirement. This is an issue that transcends this Bill, but one successive Governments have refused to address.

The Bill before us would allow retired workers' organisations to be consulted when changes to members' pension schemes are proposed. It would allow these organisations to take cases to the WRC, and it would also strengthen the ability of retired members to become members of the board of trustees of pension schemes. It changes the definition of a trade dispute to include matters affecting retired workers' benefits under occupational pension schemes. The Social Democrats support this Bill and we appeal to all members to, at least, allow it to go forward to Committee Stage where the issues can be further teased out.

Pensioners have been under pressure. I will use this opportunity to raise a number of issues that are highly relevant and to which the Government needs to respond as a matter of urgency. The Social Democrats have pointed out that legislation to prevent employers who have adequate financial resources to meet the commitments in their occupational pension schemes from walking away is badly needed. We see the issues here in the context of pension justice. Pensioner poverty in general needs to be addressed. Fuel poverty blights far too many homes in Ireland. The level of pensioner poverty acceptable is zero. The budget this year will be an opportunity for the Government to address issues affecting pensioners.

I again pay tribute to the many groups and organisations that have supported this Bill and campaigned for it. I make it very clear that this is a cross-generational issue. We often hear terms like "pensions timebomb" or "pensions crisis". At times, there are attempts by commentators to pit one group in society against another. We cannot create a society of winners and losers. We have to acknowledge that solidarity across generations matters. There are many people of working age whose only income in retirement will be the State pension. The Zurich Life survey from 2020 showed the extent of the challenge in this area. Almost two thirds of those surveyed said they were concerned about not having enough money for their retirement. Irish Life figures in 2017 showed that just 46% of working adults had a company pension plan available to them. The workers of today are the pensioners of tomorrow. The pensioners of today are the workers of yesterday. Everyone in society has an interest in pensions justice.

The work being done by the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament and others is vital to protect the pension rights of all workers. As the representatives from the National Association of Pensioners, the Alliance of Retired Public Servants and the ESB Retired Staff Association so eloquently outlined in their presentation on the Bill yesterday, pensioners need channels to effectively address the myriad of issues that have arisen and are affecting their incomes. I hope the Government parties get this message loud and clear. On behalf of the Social Democrats, I thank Deputy Bríd Smith and the staff who worked with her in putting forward this Bill. The Social Democrats will be supporting it.

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