RASA's Response to Trustee April 2014

RETIRED AVIATION STAFF ASSOCIATION

COMHLACHAS IAR-FHOIREANN EITILEORACHTA

A.L.S.A.A. COMPLEX, DUBLIN AIRPORT, IRELAND

28 April 2014

To: IASS Trustee Board - Brian Duncan, Ann Maher, Jean Cashman

(sent by email to Brian Duncan and Anne Keogh, Sec.)

Dear Board Members,

On Thursday last, 24^th April, RASA held its AGM to cover the year’s work and to advise and listen to members on the issue of the IASS Pension. Many of the members had not yet received your letter of 14^th April and still have not.

There was some confusion about the content of the letter and your intention in sending out the letter. Was it testing the waters or a proposal? Many believed you should have offered to come and address the meeting.

RASA members are disappointed that you are prepared to adopt, “hook, line and sinker” the Employers’ “Freeze and De-risk” proposals. It appears that you are coerced into doing so.

You claim that you have taken legal advice and you use the cost to the fund. The cost must be infinitesimal when compared to losses experienced by Pensioners over time.

When the case against the distribution of Aer Lingus Funds was going to court your legal advice was that we could not win the case. Then look what happened? The ink was hardly dry on the President’s signature at Christmas when you said you would grab the maximum allowed from the pensioners in the full knowledge that the Employers or the Labour Court compensation package did nothing for them. And your attitude is that “one size fits all”.

You go on then to eliminate the payment of Cost of Living Benefits without any recommendation to the Employers to do something about this. Over a twenty year period on pension the money will have little purchasing power.

On top of all these claw-backs, pensioners are paying the Pension Levy. The mathematics is good but there is no social conscience, emotion or ethics.

Members believed despite the legislation that you have no right to make any deduction from their pension. They believe that they have a constitutional property right to their pension and they have not given any consent to you to make any deduction.

The statement by the employers that they will not put up any more funds to solve this problem and that they would not implement the Labour Court Recommendation is unacceptable. They would say that if they can get away with it. You should have forced them to move.

You have taken no account that the employers, particularly Aer Lingus, ran down the surplus in the IASS by their regular Voluntary Retirement Programmes.

Given the Judge Murphy decision the members feel that it was outrageous that you did not mount a legal challenge and call on you now to get more funds for the IASS.

Over the past number of days we have become aware of the State Airport (Shannon Group) Bill 2014, published three days after your letter, and its potential serious impact on the IASS and its members. We would like to know if you were aware of its content before your recent letter sent to all IASS members and if its publication now changes any of your proposals.

Arthur Mc Swiney,

Chairman

[Urgent contact: paddykilduff@ymail.com – ph: 086-820 7465]

Copy:

Liam Berney, ICTU

Micheál Martin, TD

Michael Noonan, Minister for Finance

Leo Varadkar, Minister for Transport

Joan Burton, Minister for Social Protection

Senator Averill Power

Christoph Mueller, CEO - Aer Lingus

Kevin Toland, CEO - DAA