Update on Proposals to Restore Public Service Pensions - September 2017

The Alliance has met recently to consider a letter from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform containing detailed proposals on restoration of public service pensions. Read the full text of the letter here: (letter from DEPRA)

Full details of the Alliance response to the letter are available on the Alliance website at  https://www.arps.ie/news/.

ALLIANCE PR CAMPAIGN AND NEW WEBSITE:  www.arps.ie.

The Council of the Alliance has been engaged in a campaign of lobbying since its foundation but many council members felt that a more professional approach was needed.  Montague Communications were engaged and council members are being advised on effective communication and lobbying techniques. The new Alliance website will be a useful source of information on the pensions' campaign.  We recommend to our members the 'Submissions and Publications' page on the site for a comprehensive overview of the impact of FEMPI legislation and the case being promoted for fair and equitable treatment for retired public servants.

Autumn_2017_Newsletter.pdf

PUBLIC SERVICE PAY COMMISSION REPORT - MAY 2017

The Report of the Public Service Pay Commission which was published earlier this month will provide the backdrop to the forthcomin talks on pay and pensions. The independent commission was set up in 2016 to advise the Government in relation to public service pay.  The Commission invited submissions from interested parties and has now submitted its report to the Government.  Full details of the Commission, its membership, terms of reference and the final report are available on its website at www.paycommission.gov.ie.

Both the ASTI and the Alliance of Retired Public Servants presented submissions to the Commission and both submissions can be viewed on the website. (RSTA is a member of the Alliance.  Our representatives on the Alliance are President Carmel Heneghan and National Committee member Marie Doyle.)  The Public Service Committee of the ICTU has also stated that it will defend pay parity which is a key issue for RSTA members.

There has been widespread comment in the media since the publication of the report.  The Alliance has been very active in the media ensuring that the issues affecting public service retirees are aired.  Brian Burke, Chair of the Alliance has appeared on the Claire Byrne Show on RTE.  He also gave two interviews on Newstalk.  Press releases and interviews by Alliance members have also been published in the Irish Sun, The Examiner, The Irish Independent, The Kildare Nationalist and The Irish Times.  East Coast Radio and Radio na Gaeltachta also carried interviews. RSTA members will also be actively engaging with local radio and local print media in the coming weeks.

BOOK LAUNCH BY RSTA MEMBER.  Insula Sacra (Sacred Island) by Jack Hogan. 

Jack describes the book as " . . . a factional novel about an 18th century Limerick surgeon who pioneered methods of treating cataracts, amputation and head injuries.  He also inspired the foundation of a College of Surgeons in Dublin.  Proud of his Gaelic heritage, Sylvester O'Halloran wrote significant histories of Ireland and contributed to Charlotte Brooke's Reliques of Irish Poetry.  His pamphlet Insula Sacra urged the preservation of Irish annals, leading to the setting up of the Royal Irish Academy.  As a Catholic, O'Halloran welcomed Grattan's attempts to gain independence for Ireland and to repeal the Penal Laws.  Late in life he supported the resistance to the Act of Union.

The book is available to pre-order from www.limerickwriterscentre.com or by post at 12 Barrington Street, Limerick.  Cost €20 plus P&P.

Click here to view the Launch Poster

Newsletter Spring 2017