Delay in pension increase for Mayo An Post workers 'unacceptable' – TD
A Mayo Oireachtas member has condemned the continued delay in implementing the agreed pension increase for An Post pensioners, despite a deal brokered between unions, An Post and government officials last year.
The agreement provides payments to more than 7,000 affected An Post pensioners, a number of whom are located in Co. Mayo and are having to contend with the ongoing cost of living crisis in this country.
Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh said: "This delay is a stark contradiction of the government’s stated commitment to protecting vulnerable pensioners and addressing cost-of-living pressures.
"The CWU secured what is widely recognised as a reasonable and overdue restoration of pension value, but the pace of government endorsement has undermined the very purpose of the agreement.
"The lack of timely ministerial correspondence and action has left pensioners in Mayo and across the State stuck waiting for money that is rightfully theirs.
"My party has consistently argued that pensioners must not bear the brunt of political delays or bureaucratic inertia.
"We have called for guaranteed, timely relief for pensioners and for restoring parity between pensioners pay and active pay wherever possible.
"The current impasse risks compounding financial hardship for the pensioners who are already faced with the rising cost of living crisis, heating bills and constrained budgets.
"I submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport at the beginning of last month requesting a timeline for when this backdated increase will be paid.
"The minister acknowledged that An Post wrote to his department in October 2025 requesting consent for an increase to these pensions, but he would not commit to a date for when it will paid.
“This is not an isolated issue either. CIÉ workers are also waiting for government to approve their pension increase of up to 5% which was agreed between the CIÉ Group and the Trade Union Group (TUG).
"These ongoing delays are unacceptable.
"Sinn Féin demands urgent action from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and the Department of Transport to ensure these increases gets the necessary approval now.
"There is great disappointment among An Post and CIÉ pensioners who see this as a betrayal of their trust and a failure to protect the most vulnerable who have worked hard all their lives.
"This situation cannot be allowed to persist."