Old Irish Telecom pension.

S

Shem Mackey

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I worked in Irish Telecom (then posts and telegraphs) for five years , 1976-1981 and during that time made regular pension payments. Can you tell me if I am entitled to a pension from this time?
 
Shem Mackey said:
I worked in Irish Telecom (then posts and telegraphs) for five years , 1976-1981 and during that time made regular pension payments. Can you tell me if I am entitled to a pension from this time?
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1. If you worked in the Dept of Posts @ Telegraphs 1976 -1981 (depending on grade) you are entitled to a P&T pension from your 65th birthday.
You don't have to apply for this, it should automatically kick in. If you are 65+ I suggest you contact the Pension Section of Eir.

that probably answers your question, but . . .
2. If you worked for a government department or local authority, university etc before or after you are still entitled to a pension with more qualifying years.
3. Read my lips:- If you worked for a government department, local authority, university etc after you had resigned from P&T you are entitled to have your years added to those with which you worked.
3. If you received a gratuity (like many Telephonists in 1981) on leaving P&T possibly their responsibility stopped there? If this is the case a telephone call to HR of Eir followed up by an email or letter would do no harm and you'll get a written response.
 
Shem Mackey said:
I worked in Irish Telecom (then posts and telegraphs) for five years , 1976-1981 and during that time made regular pension payments. Can you tell me if I am entitled to a pension from this time?
Click to expand...
I have posted some relevant extracts from the 2021 version of the eir pension handbook, which I believe is the most recent edition.
You may be entitled to a pension at 60. If you are entitled to a pension, that pension will be 'preserved' - increased in line with pay increases in P&T, Telecom Éireann..., over the years.

To check your eligibility, contact the Registered Administrator of the eir pension schemes. Currently, the administrator is Aon:
eirpensions@aon.ie
1800 492 492
Aon,
eircom Pensions Team, Block D,
Iveagh Court, Harcourt Road,
Dublin 2,
D02 VH94.

If the administrator confirms your entitlement then all is good.
If they state you are not entitled, ask them to tell you why, in writing. If the reason is that you transferred it to another employment, or took a transfer value to another pension make certain those details are correct. If they are, then your pension from that other employment takes account of the time you worked in P&T. You schould confirm this with the pension provider.
If they cannot verify why you are not entitled, raise a complaint under their IDR Scheme.

A guide to the eircom Defined Benefit Pension Schemes February 2021 (Extracts)

1.17 Preserved Entitlements
(a) If a member resigns for reasons other than those mentioned already do they retain any benefits?
Yes. If they have at least 2 years’ reckonable service and did not transfer it to another employment, or take a transfer value to another pension arrangement (see Section 1.18), their pension and gratuity entitlements are preserved until they reach age 60. If death of preserved member occurs before age 60, the gratuity (preserved death gratuity) is paid.
On application by them or their legal personal representative, benefits are calculated as described
in Section 1.14 based on reckonable service and pensionable pay at the time of resignation (updated to include qualifying periodic pension rate increases, if any).
Preserved benefits may also be payable under the Spouses’ and Children’s Contributory Pension Scheme.
(b) What about members who left under a Company Incentivised Exit Scheme?
If they had a minimum of two years’ service and did not transfer service to another employment, or take a transfer value to another pension arrangement, their pension entitlements, updated to include qualifying periodic pension rate increases, if any, are preserved until they reach 60 years of age.

1.18 Transfer of Benefits
If a member resigns from the Company, can they take a transfer value to a new pension arrangement, in lieu of benefits from this Scheme?
In certain cases, service or a transfer value may be transferred for pension purposes to another occupational pension scheme, an insurance policy or contract, or a Personal Retirement Savings Account (PRSA) (subject to certain statutory conditions), which is approved by the Revenue Commissioners (subject to the resignation being voluntary and for reasons other than age or ill-health).

3.17 Internal Disputes Resolution Procedure
The Trustees have established an Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) procedure as required by legislation for dealing with complaints and disputes, by actual or potential beneficiaries of the Schemes, that come under the jurisdiction of the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO). A claim of financial loss due to poor administration of the Schemes
or a dispute of fact or law in connection with the management of the Schemes may be referred to
the FSPO, once it has been dealt with under the IDR procedure.
 
This response is for the benefit of future readers with a similar query, who might come across this post.

1. If SM is entitled to a pension, the eligibility age is 60. (Current employees of eir can, if they so wish, continue working until 65; before drawing their pension.) The grade does not determine eligibility for a pension. To qualify a person must have at least 2 years’ reckonable service and did not transfer it to another employment, or take a transfer value to another pension arrangement.
Edit 1: The pension due does not kick in automatically. The pension provider needs 'proof of life', proof of 'marital status', contact details and account details.

2. This is not correct. At that time there was an option to transfer your pension if you were moving to another public service area. There was a defined list of departments, and people moving tended to be very aware of them. AFAIK you had to choose to transfer your pension, rather than it happening automatically. In any case, if the transfer happened, SM is not due a pension from eir.
(However, you do raise an interesting point. If someone found themselves in a position where they hadn't transferred a pension from P&T/telecom Éireann/Eir to a state body it would be worth their while seeing whether it is still possible. Such pensions have far better conditions than those of eir.)

3. It would be very unusual for a redundancy/early retirement scheme to extinguish pension rights. In any case the pension administrator (in this case, currently Aonj) should provide that detail.

A guide to the eircom Defined Benefit Pension Schemes February 2021 (Extracts)

1.17 Preserved Entitlements
(b) What about members who left under a Company Incentivised Exit Scheme?
If they had a minimum of two years’ service and did not transfer service to another employment, or take a transfer value to another pension arrangement, their pension entitlements, updated to include qualifying periodic pension rate increases, if any, are preserved until they reach 60 years of age.
The severance payments made under incentivised exit schemes up to 2006 included the retirement gratuity payment, which was in line with Revenue Commissioners’ rules at the time and accordingly at age 60 no further gratuity is payable.

Edit 2: A key word in the above extract is 'includes' - the gratuity was always due to the member. In any case, always insist on getting a copy of the scheme rules which apply to Specific Exit Scheme. They differ on the exact detail, which could be costly, in certain situations.
 
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