Younger members of Dublin Fire Brigade, who are members of SIPTU, have delivered a letter to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage accusing the Government of “betrayal” by failing to honour commitments on pension reform.
The letter calls for an urgent meeting with the new Minister for Housing James Browne to discuss the issue, which they say is resulting in many considering leaving the service.
SIPTU said that the current structure of the pension scheme means that those who joined since 2013 are expected to live on a vastly reduced income for the first years of their retirement.
“The policy of the previous Government meant that younger members of the uniformed services, including Firefighters, An Garda Siochana, the Defence Forces and the Prison Service are facing future financial hardship,” said SIPTU Organiser Geoff McEvoy.
“As part of the Secure Our Futures campaign, these workers came together to highlight this issue before the General Election and received commitments from certain TDs that the issue would be addressed by the incoming Government.”
“They felt a sense of betrayal when there was no mention of the issue in the recently published Programme for Government,” Mr McEvoy said.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been contacted for comment.
