'After 31 years I will walk away with no pension - it's a disgrace'

Damien McCluskey, who runs Finglas Childcare, said it was absolutely disgraceful he and his colleagues had to take to the streets yesterday in the latest instalment in a decade-long battle with the Government for a work pension.

Now 62, he has five years of his mortgage left and will rely on the State pension when he retires. He was among more than 1,000 community employment supervisors who brought services like meals on wheels, care of the elderly and Tidy Towns to a halt during the stoppage and a Dublin rally.

The supervisors work on State-funded schemes. They want an occupational pension scheme set up after the Labour Court recommended it should be back in 2008.

At the time, their wages were paid by Fás but they are now funded by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

But they are not classified as public servants so do not have access to the same retirement benefits.

In the court's decision, it said it "recommends that an agreed pension scheme should be introduced for community employment scheme supervisors and assistant supervisors". It said the parties should engage "without delay" to bring this about 12 years ago.

Mr McCluskey said the recommendation hadn't been honoured by successive governments. "We've been pushed from Billy to Jack," he said. "I'm going to be left now with just the old-age pension.

"How are you to survive on that? I'm 31 years working in the sector. I'm going to walk away with nothing. It's absolutely disgraceful.

"The amount of people that we have put into work, that we've trained. There are 22,000 people at the moment on projects nationwide. If we weren't around, they would be on the Live Register."

Patricia Sahbani, from Cork, said she raised three children on her own and worked hard and feels she deserves a pension. She said those coming up to retirement or who have left should get a gratuity as a pension scheme would come too late for them.

Michele Rohan, who runs services for schools, children with Down syndrome and sports clubs in Claregalway said "it has been nothing but excuses and kicking the can down the road".

She said it was difficult not to get angry about big pension payouts to retiring politicians, when she will rely on the State pension.

Ms Rohan is responsible for 32 staff and €500,000 funding a year. Her yearly wage is €28,000. "All politicians say we are the backbone of the community, yet we are treated like the rubbish of the community," she said.

Previously, the Government estimated that granting the pensions could cost more than €500m due to potential knock-on claims. The campaign will pile pressure on the next government to address growing discontent with official pensions policy.

This includes the fact that the number of over-65s on the dole has trebled, while a long-promised auto-enrolment scheme has not been delivered.

John King, of Siptu, warned that a summer of discontent loomed if the row was not resolved.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who attended the rally, said she would aim in government to set up a scheme for the supervisors "as soon as it can be done".

When asked how she would ensure the pensions system was sustainable, she indicated employers' PRSI may be hiked.

"Because we're living longer lives and healthier lives, I think we need to be very conscious of keeping the Social Insurance Fund buoyant," she said.