TDs from five parties spoke up in Dáil Eireann recently in support of IMPACT’s campaign for pension justice for community employment (CE) supervisors. The issue was raised by Fianna Fáil’s spokesperson on public expenditure and reform Dara Calleary, who was backed by Labour, Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit.

IMPACT also participated in a meeting of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) high level forum for the community and voluntary sector, last Thursday (2nd November).

CE supervisors currently have no occupational pension provision at all. IMPACT has held meetings with senior representatives of political parties and groupings in the Dáil including Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour and the Independent Alliance. There have also been meetings with advisers to the independent ministers in government.

Further meetings with party spokespeople and ministers are lined up, and the issue is on the work programme of the Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection.

Back in 2008, the Labour Court recommended that a pension arrangement be put in place for CE supervisors, and funds were allocated by FÁS. However, the economic crisis and abolition of FÁS led to delay.

IMPACT raised the issue in pay talks in 2015 and 2017, and secured the establishment of a high level forum to deal with the issue under the Lansdowne Road Agreement. More recently, the union won a commitment to complete a scoping exercise by the end of this month.

Read our statement of case HERE.