Young Firefighters deliver letter to Minister on Government pensions betrayal 

Younger members of Dublin Fire Brigade, who say they feel betrayed by the new Government due to its “failure to honour commitments on pension reform”, delivered a letter to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage at lunchtime today calling for an urgent meeting to discuss the issue which is resulting in many considering leaving the service.

SIPTU Organiser, Geoff McEvoy, said:

“The current structure of the pension scheme means that those who joined since 2013 are expected to subsist 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.

“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.

“Members today hand-delivered a letter addressed to the new Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, outlining their issue and calling on him to meet with them to discuss the urgent action which is necessary to address the problem.”

SIPTU activist and Dublin Fire Brigade Firefighter, Tom Larkin, said: “Fianna Fáil representatives made commitments to Firefighters in the last election that this issue would receive the attention it deserves. However, even though they are the largest party in the Government there is no mention of it in the Programme for Government.

“Our members feel betrayed but are hopeful that the new Minister can provide clarity and reassurance on the new Government’s position.”