David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 12:

In page 20, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following:

“Regulations

22. The Minister may by regulations provide for a mechanism to provide for representation by or on behalf of retired employees, including organised groups of retired employees, in relation to his, her or their pensions, deferred or otherwise.”.

Introducing an amendment on Report Stage in the Dáil in regard to this, to include retired or deferred workers in the collective bargaining section of the Bill, was a positive move which we supported. However, in practical terms the Minister of State's amendments do not guarantee that IASS deferred members will now be assured of representation in negotiations on their pension scheme or that retired pensioners at Tara Mines or the ESB retired staff association will be allowed representation before trustees apply for a section 50 order to the Pensions Authority, rather than after, as provided for by the Minister for Social Protection in the regulation. This is a problem that needs to be examined and this is what we seek to do through this amendment by inserting: "The Minister may by regulations provide for a mechanism to provide for representation by or on behalf of retired employees, including organised groups of retired employees, in relation to his, her or their pensions, deferred or otherwise."