Sad day for workers as Social Welfare and Pensions Bill passes – McLellan

The bill to raise the pension age to 68, the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill, passed through the Dáil today on what was a sad day for workers, according to Sinn Féin’s Cork East TD Sandra McLellan. She told the Dáil that this amounted to a 16% cut in the state pension, but also means that working people will have to wait two years more for eligibility for the state pension.

She said: “People took the government at their word when they said they would protect the old age pension. They took them in good faith on this and many other issues which they have failed to implement and on which they have done u-turns since the election.”

“This measure will have a greater impact on people on low incomes who do not have an occupational or private pension and so will have no choice but to continue working until they are 68 years of age. Those in manual work will be particularly badly hit.

“The proposals that those who have contracts until they are 65, will be on job seekers’ allowance for the intervening years, means that they will lose out on fuel allowance.” Calling on the government parties to vote against the bill, she said: “This is a cruel blow to older people who are already vulnerable in this economic crisis caused by the government’s obsession with bailing out the banks instead of looking after its people.”