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Last night.

Deferred Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme [IASS] pensioners protest  at the Minister for Transport Pascal Donohoe’s home in Dublin.

The pensioners are part of the scheme affected by the row over a ‘pensions clawback’ at Aer Lingus (ahead of a possible takeover by British Airways IAG) and the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA).

Paschal Donohoe says protests outside his home ‘unacceptable’ (Irish Times)

IASS – Why We Are Protesting

(Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland)

Update:

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A IASS circular to Mr Donohoe’s neighbours.

Via Mark Malone

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24 thoughts on “Doorstepping

  1. Wayne.F

    British Airways are not trying to buy are lingus, the company that made the offer is IAG. They are BA’s parent and also own Iberia their head office is in Spain!

    1. Soundings

      + 1

      They knew where the Dept of Transport is and could just as well have marched and protested there.

      This is the second or third time that Paschal’s home has been targeted and he has come out previously to condemn the invasion of his family space. Maybe the protesters have twigged that such protests are personally annoying and will consequently have more impact than a protest outside the Department (which will probably go unnoticed).

      Am surprised there’s not a permanent protest outside Joan Burton’s house (Enda has an apartment apparently, which is more difficult to get at).

  2. Soundings

    And as for the grievance behind the protest, the protesters are looking for the taxpayer to replenish their impoverished pension fund after it made losses on investments. Some of these people are currently in line for €50,000 windfalls on their shares when AL is sold to the NTMA’s Willie Walsh. Why should taxpayers pay the pensions of these people. They can FRO.

    1. Clampers Outside!

      €50k isn’t really a “windfall” now, is it….

      But thanks for the clarification on the pension management having fupped up. Good to know, is it really that simple, a private pension was invested badly and now these guys want us to bail that pension out… is that it? If it is, they can fupp off.

    2. Happy Molloy

      a pension is an investment, sometimes a bad investment.
      you’d have to be concerned at the precedent being set when the state covers private pensions

          1. pissedasanewt

            Thats an EU rule though. The government were told in the case of Waterford glass to pay for the shortfall.

            One of the complains of the IASS group is that they have to pay the government levy from their own pensions, which anybody with a private pension has to do. While they have contributed to their pensions, i don’t think they contributed the full amount. I’d like to see details of what the average pensioner is getting and when they retired before I make a full judgement though.

            I remember a few years back when Ryanair were buying Aerlingus the Aerlingus pilots union piled a chunk of their pension into Aerlingus shares to keep Ryanair out, then the price tanked.

  3. Healy Rae's love child.

    Good on them. It’s shocking that the law allows companies to cut their pensions. Pensions are deferred earnings and should be sacrosanct.

    1. Sheikh Yabooti

      It’s shocking that the government can steal from your pension, calling it a “levy”. Pensions are savings as well as deferred earnings. Might as well come into your kid’s room and rifle their piggybank.

  4. Just sayin'

    Is Broadsheet going to ignore the anti-water charges abuse of the President of Ireland, when he visited a primary school yesterday? Does it not follow the editorial line?

  5. Bonkers

    Fair play to the protestors, they have every right to protest outside his house and despite Paschals lies it is not a matter for the Gardai as protesting in a public street is not illegal.

    As the protestors said no-one is cutting 60% of his pension. If the senior management team at Aer Lingus dipped up the pension fund then that government appointed board members who fupped up, not the workers who are now being asked to pay

  6. Dodzer

    How would they have felt if passengers went to their house when they cancelled a flight during their careers ?? I hope the Minister has no kids in the house or they would be terrified #senseofentitlement

    1. Rob_G

      It makes even less sense, as I’m not sure how a pension fund losing money would be Paschal O’Donohoe’s responsibility (even indirectly).

  7. YourNan

    fair play to the cops for not using flame throwers on those low lives at the Micky D demo, what a shower of utter scumbags. evict the lot of them to the bottom of the ocean.

  8. a protestor

    I protested last night and I defend my right to do so. We protested extremely politely. Children from the street came to the doors and windows to wave at us. And yes, we have protested in public places and did not not get any attention whatsoever for our campaign. We have tried every way we can to get the media to cover what is happening. Also in answer to the person who had a rant about us wanting to put the cost onto taxpayers. The point is we DON’T want the tax-payers to have to bail out our pension. We want the employers to be held accountable for the underfunding. In our case, the employers raided the pension fund consistently over many years to incentivise people to take early retirement. The trustees of the scheme did not stop the employers from doing so and did not insist they make additional contributions. Now the employers, who are solvent and profitable, are walking away without having to top up the fund. To get the agreement of the active employees they placed a sum of money into a new scheme for them. After much lobbying, they placed a much smaller amount into a fund for deferred members. Under law we are supposed to have the same priority as active members when a fund is being restructured. So we are asking the government to amend the act, so that the employers cannot walk away. Pascal Donohoe is the Minister for Transport and he had the power not to put the restructuring into place until the employers (Aer Lingus and DAA) treated us with the same priority as active members. We don’t want the tax payer to have to bail out two viable companies, which is what will happen now. If we win a case, because the government refused to enact legislation to make employers liable, the tax payer will be held accountable once again. Remember we are all tax payers too and remember everyone of the citizens of this country will be paying for Minister Donohoe’s pension. He and his children will have a home – many of us will not..

    1. Phibsboropete

      As a neighbour of Pascal’s I can assure you that everyone I have spoken to regards your protest as disgraceful and inappropriate. It is contemptible to harass a family In this manner. The last time you all knew he was not at home as he had to vote in a confidence motion. Neighbours asked you to leave and you hadn’t the decency to do that even though you knew there were small kids huddled in the back of the house. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Protest at the Dail every day of the week if you like. You have lost a lot of sympathy from a lot of people.

      1. Dib Dib

        An interesting thread. Unfortunately most of the comments appear to have been written by people who obviously haven’t a clue what they are talking about, and therefore don’t warrant a response. They just like to see their rants in print on a forum….you know the type!
        Unlike ‘Phisboropete’ above, who at least has a legitimate comment, however, not one I necessarily agree with. As a community worker in my locality, I have had my fair share of dealings with politicians. The one lesson I have learned, is that politicians by their nature don’t care a jot about you, me, their neighbours, or the dog on the street, all they care about is themselves, their over inflated salaries and their huge pensions, courtesy of you and I, THE TAX PAYER!!!! It would appear from the very informative letter above (protester), that your neighbour Paschal D, had the power as Minister of Transport, to right an obvious wrong committed by Aer Lingus Daa and trustees but refused ……WHY?? Would you be happy losing a large chunk of your pension? You can rest assured that the likes of your wealthy neighbour and his ikl wouldn’t. No, I say fair play to the protesters, I wish them every success! If the Minister doesn’t want protesters coming to his door, then he shouldn’t go dipping his hand into their pensions.

Comments are closed.

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