Tá athás orm mar Uachtarán Cumann Scortha Múinteóirí na hÉireann labhairt libh inniu ag an 153 Comhdháil Bliantúil INTO. Bhí mé páirteach i gnóthai INTO ó 1964 mar Chathaoirleach Craobh na Gaillimhe agus ina dhiaidh sin mar Chathaoirleach ar Cheantar V1.
Today I bring you greetings from your retired colleagues and former members of INTO.
I joined the Dublin INTO Branch in 1964 when meetings were held in Club na Múinteoirí. As a delegate from Galway, I attended over 30 Congresses with my late husband Frank who was also a teacher. We enjoyed Congress during those halcyon days when in addition to the formal business of Congress we also played golf, Bridge, attended table-quizes, danced and sang into the early hours of the morning.
I addressed Congress on several occasions on behalf of the Galway branch. I remember in particular in the early 90’s. campaigning to secure a second teacher for one teacher schools. I taught for 24 years in a one teacher school. It was pressure from the INTO, with the support of Congress delegates that eventually secured the appointment of a second teacher.
The RTAI was founded in 1951/52 and now has over 10,300 members in a network of 32 branches. It is a strong and vibrant Association which focuses on:
- Protecting Pensions
- Securing benefits and facilities for members.
- Providing information and advice
- Maintaining strong links with the INTO and with other groups that advocate on behalf of retired workers;
- Supporting a broad range of social activities and networking working opportunities for members
As our Association was founded to protect the dignity of retired teachers by working to protect pensions, I would like to highlight 3 significant milestones that were achieved in 2020:
1 Jan 2020 finally brought an end to the Public Service Pension Reduction – an additional tax on public service retirees introduced on 1 January 2011. The phasing out of this levy commenced in 2016, but it was only in January of 2020 that it was finally phased out. At its peak, this levy generated €135 million for the Exchequer!
1 October 2020 was also a significant day for public service retirees. All our members saw an increase in their gross pensions on that day. For most the increase was very modest. However, it was the first increase in over 12 years that applied across the board to all retirees. (The previous PSSA increases were only applied to the more recently retired). The last pension increase that applied to all retirees was 1 October 2008.
The public service pay deal “Building Momentum” which concluded last December, brings further optimism for retirees as the two pay increases due on 1 Oct 2021 and on 1 October 2022 will also apply to retired teachers.
We welcome the confirmation that parity is secured for now. But this guarantee only lasts until the end of this pay agreement in 2022. We would urge the CEC to ensure that any follow-on public-sector agreement will also maintain the link between pay and pensions.
We will also have a keen interest on how any increases arising from the sectoral bargaining fund will impact on pensions.
I would like to acknowledge the work of the INTO in progressing these issues and we are grateful for the trojan work the organisation does on our behalf.
On this occasion I would like to give a special mention to Noel Ward. For many years Noel has been our key contact person with INTO. He has always been accessible to us and shows a genuine interest in the welfare of retired INTO members. We are grateful for his support and wish him well in his retirement. We look forward to working with Deirdre and we wish her well in her new role.
Táim fíor bhuíoch diobh ligint dom labhairt libh inniu. Ghuím rath agus tairbhe ar bhur díospóireachtaí comhdhála.