Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I met representatives of the retired employees of An Post last week. I want to bring to the attention of the House the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983, which wound up the old Department of Posts and Telegraphs. I will read from section 46 of that Act. Subsection (4) states:

Every scheme under this section shall provide for not less favourable conditions in respect of persons who, immediately before the vesting day, were members of the staff of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs than those to which they were entitled immediately before the vesting day.

Subsection (5) states:

Disbursement of pensions, gratuities and other allowances which may be granted to or in respect of persons who, immediately before the vesting day, were members of the staff of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs shall not be on less favourable conditions than would apply if the benefits referred to had continued to be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.

That Act was passed when the Department of Posts and Telegraphs was disbanded. The provisions of the Act have clearly not been borne out. The pensions of staff members are being seriously affected by the way they are now getting their pensions. They are losing out significantly. I saw figures to show that a retired employee has lost more than €7,500 since 2015 compared with what the situation would have been had the conditions that existed in 1983 been maintained.

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