Years Of Sacrifice

at

pensions

Bertie, Brian and Mary.

The austerity years.

In 2014 for instance, Mr Ahern was paid a ministerial pension of €81,140, on top of which he received an additional €53,291 from Leinster House, totalling €134,431. In 2011, he received significant farewell payments including a ‘termination lump sum’ of €16,404 and another ‘lump sum’ payment of €159,873.

Following Mr Ahern on the list is another former Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil’s Brian Cowen who has been paid €726,367 according to the figures. His payments mirror almost exactly those of Mr Ahern and his pension – both ministerial and Oireachtas combined – is worth €134,379 annually.

Next on the list is the former Tanaiste Mary Harney, who according to the figures was paid €647,406. Her annual pension is currently worth €116,987, which is almost €13,000 less than she was being paid in 2012 due to a series of budgetary cuts, which have seen payments for all retired politicians reduced.

€65 million in pension payments to former politicians (RTÉ)

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51 thoughts on “Years Of Sacrifice

  1. Jimmee

    Politicians set the rules (or appoint the people who set the pay scales) so how are we supposed to be surprised by this?

    1. ahjayzis

      I’m more surprised we haven’t burned these thieving f**kers out of their homes, TBH.

  2. Mr. Man

    I can only assume this is not just an Irish thing, is it? Are there any countries who DON’T award ex-politicians with ‘pensions’ better than most high earner salaries?

    1. ahjayzis

      More like how many times her income would a nurse have to contribute to a pension fund to even come close to have that kind of payout on retirement at 50 odd…

      1. David

        Did our superficial, sorry sacrificial-you-wish friends actually contribute to their pensions?

        1. ahjayzis

          Nope, not to the extent that’d merit that payout + lump sum. I remember when it was in the news the papers gave a breakdown of what it would cost your average Joe to buy a pension like. Turns out you can’t really – and if you could it’d be millions upon millions.

    2. Clampers Outside!

      Good news is Harney takes such great care of her health, she wont be drawing it for as long as most would have.

      Sorry Mary, but as an ex-Minister for Health, I’m sure you wouldn’t deny the facts.

      1. scundered

        Come to think of it, I can’t think of one healthy looking minister for health.

        1. Sam

          Micheál Martin looks in reasonable health as does the current Minister Leo Varadkar.

  3. ollie

    Dear leader will pocket a feckin’ fortune when he reties in October……….. and he has a full teacher’s pension waiting for him despite having spent a few months in the job.

  4. edalicious

    €65 million, or whatever fraction thereof that you could claw back by reducing pensions, isn’t going to make much of a dent in the debt of our country but, for god’s sake, have a bit of common decency and solidarity with your fellow country people and sort it out. It’s better than winning the feckin lotto for flips sake!

    1. Clampers Outside!

      Precisely.

      Nothing to do with the amount as a whole. More to do with greasing ones palm, a palm already greased for ALL TDs and Senators of all parties by Charlie Haughey who offered them all full pension from age 50…. yet NONE are offering to give that back.

      Because they’re all looking after them selves.

      Any politician that uses the word ‘We’ should be asked at the door when canvassing, ‘when are you raising the pensionable age for politicians to that of the citizen?’

      If they have no answer, tell ’em to fupp off.

  5. Atticus

    No public servant should be on a pension higher that €50K a year. And even at that €50K is ridiculously generous.

    Does anybody know if these pensions are taxed?

    1. Mr. Man

      No public servant should be on a pension just because they leave office. They should have to wait until they are actually retired or of pension age until they get anything.

      1. Clampers Outside!

        Hear, hear !

        It’s not like any of them paid for their pensions…. nor are their pensions related to performance, of the country, like they should be.

        Ivan Yates, 16 years service in govt. has been guaranteed just shy of €80,000 a year from age 50.

        It’s DISGUSTING !

        1. scottser

          it’s the fact that he could be declared bankrupt while on a pension is the most disgusting part.

          1. Clampers Outside!

            What did he say in an interview… oh yeah…

            I “only” have €3,000 a month left to live on….

            Got used to the good life, then expects sympathy for the €3,000 in cash a month he gets for the rest of his life… for “only” 16 yrs work, what an ungrateful little scut.

  6. ahjayzis

    Making it so the people who run our society are completely insulated from any change in that society’s circumstances as a result of their misrule is a very, VERY bad management policy.

  7. fosull

    The outliers in this (the ridiculous big payments to Ahern, Cowan, Harney et al) are crazy and should be stopped (if that were possible), but for the remainder, this smacks of sensationalist reporting.

    Let’s break this down. In 2014, the total bill for 350 people was €13.3M or an average of €38,000 per person per annum.

    In 2014, the average industrial wage was €35,749.87 (according to the CSO), so the difference between the average payment and the average wage is €2,250 per annum or €43.27 per person per week. Not that exciting a story now, is it?

    1. Mr. Man

      Did all of those who were awarded pensions sit in the Dail until they retired at 65? Are all of those awarded a pension actually retired now, fully retired at 65? Did they have to wait until they were 65 until they started to receive their pensions? Did they contribute 5%, 10%, 15%….50% of their salary to their pension pots in order to be awarded such a big average? Are they being awarded their pension on top of any other pension, state or otherwise?

          1. Mr. Man

            But I mean you could work in government for a few years in your thirties….quit….get a nice little lump sum to invest….and start getting your ‘pension’ which is equivalent to an everage salary. Why bother wait until your 65?

          2. David

            My retirement age went up. Oh wait, I’m a minion. We’re talking about the elite here.

    2. Sam

      Your comparing the average industrial wage to an average TD’s pension ?
      Why should their pension be higher than the wages of someone still working?

      1. Kieran NYC

        Hint – people who’s jobs are more exclusive or more valued are better remunerated.

      2. Clampers Outside!

        I see where you’re going, but the comparison is kinda meaningless, as KieranNYC points out…. but even that has a hole in it. Kieran’s point would be fine IF the TDs and Senators actually paid a real proper contribution to their pensions and if they received them at the appropriate age… as in when the state pension is given out.

      3. Kieran NYC

        Apologies – my point was kind of flippant above. Yes, their pensions are ridiculous compared to what they’ve paid in versus what they get out, how young you can start drawing it, etc etc. But I do think politicians should be decently well payed; for corruption reasons, for how hard, thankless and uncertain the job is, etc.

        One condition should be that taking the pension, they aren’t allowed to take any lobbying/politically sensitive board positions, etc. One or t’other.

  8. Clamp Victim

    There are as many ‘outliers’ down the bottom as the top, where people just got a single payment in 2011.

  9. phil

    I assume these pensions are linked to Snr Public service officers , thats their cover you see..

  10. Bonkers

    They did the state some service and now it’s time for the state to do then lots of service in return

  11. Spaghetti Hoop

    Tis better to have political prowess and reputation than the moolah. Those shower only have the latter. I hope they spend it until they have extreme gout.

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