RMA News May 2025

The Retired Members’ Association of the TUI marked another year of representation on behalf of its members at the Annual General Meeting held in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel on Thursday, May 15th (a full report will be issued in the next TUI News). The income position for the financial year 2024/25, regarding members’ subscriptions, is very solid. Prudently, the management committee has transferred funds into TUI Credit Union fixed-term deposit accounts to take advantage of better interest rates. The membership of the RMA continues to grow year after year, with an additional 50+ members involved this year.

We encourage you, our current members, to make contact with recently retired former colleagues and invite them to participate in maintaining contact with TUI through active membership of RMA. Recent retirees can sign up online here on our  our website, rmatui.ie/join, or by contacting rmamember@tuimail.ie. Alternatively, you can request an application form from our Membership Officer, Majella O’Neill, on 087 7634710.

 The social activities are ongoing and well attended, thanks to the good work of our Social and Cultural Officer, Mary Lane Heneghan. Fifty-six members from all four corners of the country enjoyed a three-day Spring Break in the Ardilaun Hotel Galway with Connemara and South Galway tours. Autumn Break is a planned trip to Lake Garda, Italy, from October 16th to 20th, 2025, visiting Venice and Verona, which is attracting many members.

Further details of the trip are available here on the on the RMA website home page. The Spring Break 2026 to Derry is currently being organised.

Reports/notices from the Branches

Area 1 Mick Daly. Discussion points at the most recent meeting included retired members participating in interview panels, the amalgamation of RMATUI and RSTA and the salary and pension link.

Area 3 Brigid Sheridan Meeting Venue: Meetings at the Meadow View Hotel, Cavan. Navan Branch: Meetings held in the Teachers’ Centre, Navan.

 Area 4 Mary Walsh Meeting Venue: Teachers’ Club, Kilkenny. Activities include visiting SETU Labs to explore work on dietary supplements. A visit to ‘Cartoon Saloon’, Kilkenny, is planned, followed by lunch.

Area 6 Noel Spittle Branches include Tipp North, Limerick City, and Clare. A recent meeting was held at The South County Hotel, Limerick.

 Area 8 Geraldine O’Daly Mayo Branch: The Branch was recently reactivated. The meeting venue is the Ivory Towers, Castlebar. Outgoing treasurer Gerry King handed over to Padraig McNeely.

 Galway Branch (Mary Lane Heneghan): Meetings are held approximately four times a year at Menlo Park Hotel. Guest speakers typically attend. Meetings are well attended.

Area 9 Joe Carolan Sligo Leitrim Branch: The meeting venue is the Atlantic Technological University, Sligo. An HSE presentation on “slips and falls” and their impact on seniors was provided.

Area 14, Tom Fennell: The meeting venue is the Teachers’ Club, Parnell Square, where a presentation on Assisted Decision Making will be given. Social events included trips to Glasnevin Cemetery and Leinster House. RSTA members also participated in joint outings

 All members of RMA are encouraged to join their local branch colleagues at regular meetings for a chat and to join in social and cultural activities. The contact details of your local branch can be found here on on this website.

Payment of pension for RMA members who were ETB and C&C employees will be transferred from the NSSO (National Shared Services Office) to ESBS (Education Shared Business Services.) The first payment is due on June 6th. ESBS will contact all those retirees and ask them to provide an updated email address. ESBS will then send a personal access number to the individual, which can be used to access the new online portal. In any event, the pension payment will continue uninterrupted. The payment for former college employees will remain with the NSSO for the time being.

 The Chairman of the RMA was allowed to address this year’s Annual Congress in Wexford. He provided a brief overview of the RMA’s activities over the past year, emphasising the importance of continuing to expand the Association’s membership. He asked all TUI delegations present to support the RMA by actively recruiting their colleagues, highlighting the work of the RMA in their respective Schools, Colleges, and Centres, and encouraging them to join the Association upon retirement.

The TUI annual Easter Congress discussed one motion on pension issues, which called for joint action with other public service unions to highlight the deplorable pensions for those on the post-2013 pension and to seek parity with pre-2013 colleagues. The motion was referred to the Executive.

The RMA wishes the outgoing TUI President David Waters best wishes and congratulations on an excellent term of office in representing TUI members at all levels.

 The next meeting of the management committee will be held in TUI Head Office on October 2nd.

 Enjoy the summer break!