Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I note what the Minister of State said about the status of retired workers and the dangers of a third party coming into negotiations. Nevertheless, what these workers are seeking is that if they have a problem with their pensions after the six-month limitation of their having left work has passed, they would be able to go to the WRC. They want that six-month limitation to be lifted to allow them to go to the WRC at any stage after the six months if their pensions become the subject of negotiations. We have seen this happen time and again, in particular since - this has been a frequent bone of contention - the bank bailout and the austerity measures were adopted. Many of these people are workers who worked in the public sector or for semi-State bodies and built this State. Many of them have retired and have for 13 or 15 years been fighting to change this, but they are not going to live forever. Will the Minister of State give us some sense of the Government's attitude to the Bill? The committee's attitude will be determined by that.

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