Alliance Meeting with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) on December 17th 2020
A short meeting between the Alliance Officers and DPER Officials took place at noon on December 17th 2020. The Agenda for this meeting included:
- the unwinding of the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) and Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI);
- an update on the new Pay Agreement – Building Momentum;
- CL 18/2020 on the extension of S/A provisions to retirees in single-sex arrangements;
- and the proposed meeting with Minister Michael McGrath set for the new year.
It was explained that the date for the final phase of PSPR has been fixed for 01/07/2021 which occurs during the lifetime of the new agreement effectively means that the provisions of the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) regarding the preservation of ‘parity’ is now secure until the end of 2022. The Alliance welcomed this but emphasised to the Officials that they believe they have a legitimate expectation for the preservation of Parity on a permanent basis, given that it has been in-situ since 1973. This will be the Alliance position when meeting with Minister McGrath.
The pay terms of ‘Building Momentum’ were briefly explained: 1% on 01/10/2021, and 1% on 01/10/2022. A further 1% from 01/02/2022 is available to alleviate/settle sectoral anomalies. It should be noted that this (latter) may not result in any increase to pensioned Public Servants if it is used for purposes which don’t affect all (see elsewhere in this report).
Cl 18/2020 emanates from the Dept of Social Protection. It explains how amendments to the 1990 Pensions Act will allow partners/spouses of retirees in Single-sex arrangements to benefit from the S/A scheme. The circular is attached and you are asked to disseminate it as widely as you can among your members.
It can also be accessed through clicking on link below:
The meeting ended at 12.50 pm.