CE Supervisors continue to be denied pension entitlements

The call for pension entitlements for Community Employment Scheme supervisors was once again made in Dáil Éireann this week. Supervisor and Assistant Supervisor work in an administrative roles for CE schems.

The Department of Social Protection set up a forum to address the issue of pension entitlement, however the meetings of the forum has been curtailed by Covid restrictions.

Speaking in the Dáil on the Industrial Relations Bill 2021 Sinn Féin deputy, Pauline Tully, called out the Fine Gael / Fianna Fáil government and its predecessor for denying the right of CE Supervisors to secure pension entitlements.

“Community employment, CE, supervisors have been denied the right to secure pension entitlements. This is an issue that was ruled on by the Labour Court in 2008,” The Cavan-Monaghan TD said.

Deputy Tully continued: “That ruling found in favour of the supervisors and that the Department responsible for the scheme should grant supervisors pension entitlements, but, 13 years later, this has still not happened.”

She says moves to address the issue to date have been very poor: “Shame on the Governments, led by both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, since that time. CE schemes throughout the country were to the fore in responding to the Covid crisis by helping with the Community Call and many other matters.

“Unlike the majority of the sector, their contracts with the Department of Social Protection state that they are not able to continue working until they are 70 years of age. An offer was made to them recently, which the unions are considering, but the feedback I am getting is not positive,” Deputy Tully concluded.