THE Retired Nurses Association of Ireland has called on the Minister for Finance to confirm that their pensions will be adjusted in line with increases being offered to nurses under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work.
When the first agreement, the Programme for National Recovery was agreed in 1987, the Government issued a regulation stating that pay rises negotiated as part of a restructuring deal could not be passed on to pensioners who retired before the deal was concluded.
However, the regulation has only become an issue this year as the first large restructuring deals have been negotiated. The secretary of the association, Mr Tomas O Baoill, says: "In the past, any increases for nurses have been reflected in nurses' pensions. We believe that, on this occasion, the Government wants to deviate from that and we are saying that we will not stand for it."
The RNAI was formed recently after retired nurses learned from their respective unions in the Nursing Alliance that they might not receive increases based on the £50 million pay package nurses will vote on shortly.
About 300 retired nurses attended the first formal meeting of the association in Liberty Hall, Dublin, yesterday.
But the chairman of the association, Mr Sean O'Callaghan, said there are thousands of other public service pensioners whose interests are also affected.
"We have sent out a strong message to the Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn, today and to the Nursing Alliance that we intend to lobby on this issue.
"We are telling our colleagues still working that our problem today will be theirs tomorrow. If we allow the Minister to set a precedent now it will affect everyone who comes after us. All this takes is a new ministerial order stating that any increases should include pensioners."
A spokesman for Mr Quinn said yesterday that the issue was being examined. In the case of the teaching unions, he pointed out that pensioners were being offered a straight 3 per cent increase if teachers voted to accept the restructuring package. However, there was no similar increase offered to retired members of the Civil Service, local authorities or health boards where agreements on restructuring deals have been reached under the PCW.