Under the headline "Economic recovery can be double-edged sword", RTE's Ingrid Miley writes "When an emergency ends, pent-up demand for restoration and the rolling back of non-pay changes places almost inevitable pressure on government. That demand has been clearly visible during this union conference season." The Indo sounds the same cautionary tone in its coverage today, while both articles namecheck the Fórsa conferences taking place in Kilkenny.
The Irish Times reports that Irish workers close to retirement are calling for clarity on the proposed new State pension system after the Government failed to meet a number of deadlines set under reform plans. Under new measures due to take effect next January, workers will have to pay 40 years of contributions to qualify for a full-rate pension. Ictu social policy officer Dr Laura Bambrick says it will be “practically impossible” for people who have spent some or all of their life in part-time employment or who are self-employed to meet the 40-year target.
‘We must pay the price of progress now or stay trapped in the past forever’ - that's the message from the Taoiseach as the Government signed off yesterday on the eye-watering bill for broadband rollout. The Irish Times reports that Ministers brushed aside concerns about the cost of the project and the likely take-up rate at yesterday's press conference, and that senior officials in DPER were opposed to the plan because they felt it did not represent value for money, and took the unprecedented step of registering their objections in formal Cabinet documentation.
Like