ESB Retired Staff Association News

As our annual General Meeting approaches (end of June), can we remind pensioners, VS staff and serving staff that the RSA National Executive has affiliated branches from around the country. Each branch is different in that some have regular meetings and social outings, while others, like the two Dublin branches (which have the largest membership), do not. The subscriptions to the branches vary accordingly, from around €1 a week to less than 20 cent a week. In addition to social and educational activities, all represent their members' interests and, mainly through the RSA, pension fund issues whenever and wherever possible.

In the latter case, among other contacts, for the past eight years we have had a member representing pensioners as a Trustee of the Pension Fund, in the person of Paudge Kavanagh. He has just retired as Trustee, having given sterling service, and we hope to have a replacement for him in the person of Frank Farrelly, if you all vote for him. The Pension Fund, we assure pensioners and staff, is financially sound, and we hope, through Frank, to help keep it so.

The ESBRSA is a member of and has two representatives on its Executive Committee, the National Federation of Pensioners' Associations. This is a body which represents abut 30 state, semistate and private company pension associations. Through this organisation we can and do make representations about pension issues, and a budget submission to Government Departments on matters affecting older people, including health and home care issues. It has meetings with Ministers, including Sean Power T.D., Minister for Services to Older People and Seamus Brennan T.D., Minister for Social and Family Affairs. We are also affiliated with the Irish Senior Citizen's Parliament and have a representative on its Executive Committee.

We always welcome new members, and here we would especially remind widows and widowers of pensioners that they also can join their local branch. Contact Frank Farrelly at 46 Granville Road, Dun Laoire, Co. Dublin, for information and a deduction form.

We know that there are some pensioners committees around the country who are not affiliated with the Retired Staff Association, and would encourage them, if interested, to contact Seamus O'Donohoe, Hon. Sec. ESBRSA, at 14 Brookwood Grove, Artane, Dublin 4, or by email at sodonohoe@gmail.com.

Membership of the RSA entails an annual fee from each Committee to help towards RSA running expenses and the attendance of two delegates at four meetings per annum in Dublin, including the AGM.