Unions are today raising concerns over what they say are pay cuts being forced on public-sector staff over the age of 65.
It follows a ruling from the Government late last year to allow them to work until they are 70.
"There's a misnomer about public service pensions," he said SIPTU’s health division organiser Paul Bell.
"The groups of people we predominantly represent range in salaries between €25,000 and €40,000. What's been asked here, and the term being used is 'rehire' us - which is quite offensive - is for someone to go, basically, from €35,000 to €27,000 in one stroke of a pen, because they cannot afford to be without employment while they wait to gain access to the contributory state pension."