Last week it was revealed that errors made by the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) have led to pension overpayment and underpayment errors. Up to 13,000 retired civil servants have been affected and will now have their payments assessed.

A significant number of the retired workers involved come from non-management grades, many of whom remain retired members of Fórsa. However, much commentary has focused on retired senior civil servants and former ministers.

Deputy general secretary Matt Staunton drew attention to the anxiety retired civil servants will now be feeling, due to errors that are no fault of their own, and called on public expenditure minister Jack Chambers to resolve the issue as a matter of urgency.

Addressing retired members, he said: “Having served the state all of your adult life and moved on to a well-deserved retirement, to suddenly hear the news that unscheduled and unexpected bills may be coming your way is the very last thing you need to hear.”

Fórsa is taking legal advice for retired members to ascertain whether the general statute of limitations (usually six years) applies here and is exploring what options are available to impacted members. 

Matt continued: “The state has already admitted that it is solely culpable for these fundamental errors, which are long-running. We are calling on the minister to immediately clarify the situation regarding low-income retired public servants caught up in a mess for which they bear no responsibility. 

“Retiring ministers and senior public servants who have received substantial lump sums should have had the correct taxes deducted, and any repayments should be paid immediately by the beneficiaries. However, to chase close to 13,000 retired public servants for repayments, due to errors beyond their control, is reprehensible.

“Our position is that retired public servants should not be made to pay for what the minister himself called: “serious and systemic operational issues” at the NSSO.

“The minister must take genuine responsibility here. The sense of let down and fear, bordering on terror, over this is palpable among Fórsa’s retired members,” he said.

Matt called on the minister to immediately clarify whether a 2018 circular, referenced in media reports and concerning salary overpayments, applies here. 

Matt said: “The circular sets out a repayment schedule of 8% gross pay per pay period. However, if repayment terms are limited to one year, this would be punitive for retired members, who have lower monthly incomes than people in active employment. It would be unrealistic and unfair to apply the same constraints on them.”

Martin Bridgeman, chair of the union’s Retired Members, has said “We remain available to members who may be affected by this emerging situation. The current lack of clarity is deeply troubling and is adding to the stress and upset already caused to our retired colleagues. We will assist and support them in any way we can, working with our colleagues across the union.

"Our primary focus is the protection of members’ pension terms and conditions, and we will continue to advocate on behalf of members as regards the correct and timely payment of pensions and to provide a point of contact for queries”.

Martin also noted the recent appointment of Claudia Jennings, as membership development officer. He said: “Claudia is a highly regarded colleague, and we are delighted to welcome her. We look forward to working with Claudia in supporting Fórsa members in retirement, and she will be a key part of our ongoing membership and recruitment campaign."

If you are affected by this issue, you can contact Martin or Claudia by email at rma_chair@forsa-rep.ie and cjennings@forsa.ie

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