A campaign to increase pension rates in Ireland was held in Waterford yesterday. The Pension Promise Campaign is calling for payments of no less than 34% of average earnings.
The current weekly rate of the state pension is €265 per week. Speaking to WLR News, Michael Taft researcher with SIPTU says the government needs to keep its promise.
"SIPTU along with a number of other groups are involved in issues regarding older citizens. We have together launched a pension promise campaign.
"What we are asking is that the government keeps its promise to link old age pension payments to 34% of the average wage."
According to SIPTU'S website," the Irish Pensions Roadmap of 2018 contains a commitment to a state pension contributory payment of no less than 34% of average earnings. It also states that government will institute a process whereby future changes in pension rates of payment are explicitly linked to changes in the consumer price index and average wages."
Michael continued to say that promises were made by the government previously.
"They made this commitment a number of years ago they have said that they are still committed to it but pensions lag considerably. If pensions were to rise to the level of 34% of the average wage, that would mean an additional 50 euros a week in pension payments for older people.
"One in eight people over the age of 65 are living in what the government itself describes as official deprivation conditions. That means they suffer multiple deprivation experiences. That is a very high number. If you also consider, older people are at greater risk of poverty than any other age group except by the way children. It's children and older people that face the same amount of risk of poverty."
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