AGM 2016 Update & Motions Passed

 

  • It was agreed at the RMA AGM that members would be asked to lobby TDs in advance of the renewal date for the FEMPI legislation.
  • It was also agreed that under certain circumstances a protest outside the Dail would be organised by the RMA.
  • The officers of the RMA decided on Monday 27th June that it was in the best interests of the RMA that this protest should not go ahead.
  • This was because it had become clear that there was little enthusiasm for the protest outside of the RMA.
  • To be effective, a protest of this nature would need the support of the Alliance of Retired Public Servants and the TUI.
  • Instead, it was decided that the focus of members should be on lobbying their local TDs. All RMA branch secretaries were informed and asked to contact the members of their respective branches to urge them to lobby their TDs.
  • Protests held outside Dáil Eireann around the end of June by two groups, ASTI and the GRA, had nothing to do with restoration of pensions.
  • Thanks to all of our members who lobbied their local TDs.

 

Motions passed at AGM 2016

 RMA Management Committee

The RMA re-affirms its support for the Alliance of Retired Public Servants as the main organisation for restoring public servants’ pensions, including restoration of the serving peer link, and eliminating inequalities in the application of the Universal Social Charge.  The RMA now calls on the Alliance to vigorously continue its campaign of lobbying public representatives for the purpose of achieving full pension restoration and statutory negotiation rights on behalf of retired public servants.

 Dublin Branch

The Dublin Branch of TUIRMA calls on the Management Committee to ensure that our representatives on the Council of the Alliance of Retired Public Servants are current members of the National Management Committee duly elected as per the RMATUI Constitution.

South East Branch

“We ask that the status quo be maintained in relation to the Free Travel Scheme applying to those of 66 years and over”

Carlow Branch 

“That RMA fully supports TUI in its demands to end the exploitation of recently employed teachers, especially those recruited since 2011, in the areas of reduced salaries and their conditions of service”

South East Branch

“That retired E.T.B. teachers be given the option of having a paper payslip issued, by post, to them in line with all other retired teachers”

Meath Branch

 The RMA calls on the TUI to initiate discussions with other unions with a view to conducting a campaign to have necessary amendments made to the Industrial Relations Acts so that Trade Unions will no longer be prevented from representing their retired members.

Meath Branch

 The RMA asks that the Executive of the TUI ensure that the long-standing link between pay and pension pay be restored in any deal entered into by the TUI following the termination of the LRA and/or the removal of FEMPI.

Dublin Branch

 This AGM of RMA notes:

That pensions of members have been reduced under a number of Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest(FEMPI) ACTS

That Minister Howlin speaking in Dail Eireann on FEMPI BILL 2015 said: Minister Howlin:

“The bottom line is I agree with the thrust of what Deputy Seamus Healy said about pensions being a preserved property right. That has been determined by the courts. That is why we have taken very careful advices from the Attorney General, of which some have already been tested in the courts. The criteria required, as I have put on the record before, are that to sustain pension contribution(to cuts), there needs to be an emergency which needs to be certified. The contribution must be one towards addressing that emergency. It needs to be proportionate in terms of the person’s income and it needs to be non-discriminatory. In other words, one cannot say that category of people should be deprived of a pension and that category should not. It has to have general application”.

Notes that Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Burton said in an opinion Piece in Irish Times Thursday October 29: “While the emergency is over, though, the need for reform is not.”

Notes that Finance Minister Noonan speaking on Budget 2016 said:

“Economic and Fiscal Position
The economy has been transformed. It is growing strongly across all sectors and, most importantly, sustaining and creating jobs. It has recovered all of the output lost during the crisis and is bigger than ever before in our history. Ireland is forecast to be the fastest growing economy in Europe again in 2015 and my Department is forecasting growth at 6.2% in 2015. This forecast has been endorsed by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. The Department of Finance is forecasting growth of 4.3% in 2016 taking account of the figures endorsed by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the full impact of today's overall budget package. Economic growth is expected to average around 3% per annum thereafter. “

 

Notes that the provisions of Budget 2016 retained 95 million of pension property of public servants while providing 750 million in revenue relieving measures including in excess of 100 million in tax and USC relief to the to 5% of income recipients on an average annual income of 186,000 Euro in the fiscal year 2016

This AGM, therefore, requests the Executive Committee of TUI to call on the Government, at an early date, to WIND UP the FEMPI Acts immediately and to DESIST FROM CERTIFYING THAT A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY CONTINUES TO EXIST,

And, in the event of government failing to confirm that there will be a positive response to this call, TUI RMA will organise a public meeting at the gates of Leinster House in support of the calls above

RMA calls on the Teachers Union of Ireland to invite its members and other bodies such as other retired associations, the Alliance of Retired Public Servants and other trade unions to support the above calls and to support the public meeting outside Leinster House in support of these calls.

This AGM further calls on all members of RMA to continue lobbying Dail Deputies, Senators and councillors in favour of the calls to wind up FEMPI ACTS and to declare an end to the financial emergency.

 Meath Branch

 The RMA acknowledges the generous financial support of the TUI and how helpful TUI Head Office staff have been to the Association over many years. The RMA mandates its officers to investigate whether an allocation of secretarial assistance from TUI could improve the operation and effectiveness of the RMA