Sinn Fein spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, Louise O’Reilly TD, and spokesperson on Social Protection, Claire Keranne TD, have said that the government’s newly-announced pension plans are a ploy to increase the pension age to 70 by stealth.

Teachta O’Reilly said:

“The government’s newly-announced pension plan amounts to nothing more than a Trojan horse to increase the pension age to 70.  

“Currently workers can access their pension and work past 66. Under the government’s plans, their pension will be deferred and workers will lose out on thousands of euros.

“Removing mandatory retirement clauses are welcome, but their removal should not be used to jack the pension age up to 70.

“Workers and voters have spoken; they want to be able to retire on a decent pension at 65, or they want to be able to continue working past the age of 65 if they so wish.

“This government in their actions have proved they are dead set against this.

“These latest proposals by government are a ploy aimed at increasing the pension age to 70.”

Teachta Kerrane said:

“People who have had a lifetime working on their feet in hospitality or hairdressing, or doing hard labour on construction sites or in factories for example, simply cannot be expected to continue working beyond the age of 65.

“We absolutely support flexibility for workers who wish to continue working beyond the pension age but that should be on their terms. 

“People should not be coerced to work on until they turn 70, as the government intends to do.

“Nobody should be pressured into working beyond the age they are entitled to a state pension if they do not wish to do so.”