ICTU calls on Government to delay changes to State pension
Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary David Begg is today calling on the Government to delay the introduction of a number of changes to the State pension.
The age of entitlement is to be raised to 68 by the year 2028, while the number of PRSI contributions a person has to make over their lifetime to be eligible for the State pension is set to increase.
A conference is taking place in Croke Park today on the issue of pensions, to be addressed by Social Protection Minister Joan Burton.
Mr Begg said that these changes will have adverse effects on the most vulnerable members of Irish society.
"People on low incomes tend to spend all their pension money because they have to, basically," he said.
"So if you reduce the amount of money people have that means there's less money coming into the domestic economy and the domestic economy has been contracting really for the last four years,
"So, even in economic terms, if you were to neglect altogether the social effects of this for elderly people, this wouldn't be a good or prudent move."
