NON CONTRIBUTORY old age pensions should be increased to £100 a week, a trade union leader has told the Pensions Board. SIPTU's national industrial officer, Mr Des Geraghty, says the pensions should then be index linked to wages and brought up to 75 per cent of average industrial earnings over a number of years.
He was speaking at the publication of SIPTU's proposals to reform the State pension system, which are being submitted to the Minister for Social Welfare, Mr Ahern, and the National Pensions Board today. "A particular focus of SIPTU's proposals are women and younger people, who are the main components of the atypical workforce, part time, casual or contract employees," Mr Geraghty said.
"SIPTU identifies this group as being particularly vulnerable and in urgent need of proper pension provision. Homemakers, who are mostly women and who have traditionally had less chance of obtaining an occupational pension or contributory State pension, are a further focus of attention in the SIPTU proposals."
SIPTU is also proposing major reforms in occupational pension schemes. It says a minimum level of cover should be provided for all workers not already covered. Mr Geraghty says the union accepts there may be employer resistance.
"Almost half a million Irish workers are employed in companies which provide no pension cover at all, even though many of them are making reasonable profits."