COMMENT: Unfair disparity in retirement ages
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Thursday March 11 2010
THE NEW national pension framework, announced last week and due to be introduced in 2014, will highlight the differences between the length of service provided by private workers and gardai.
Private workers will now be expected to work until 68 while it is unlikely that gardai will ever be compelled to work beyond the age of 55 years.
The 'auto-enrolment' pension for middle and lower income private sector workers due to start in 2014 seems like a relatively good plan. However, it does highlight the gap in length of service provided by the public and private sectors.
Acknowleding that gardai carry out a hugely important role in society, surely they should not be continuing to retire at the age of 50 on a full pension anymore? While many gardai continue to work beyond the age of 50 providing an invaluable service, the point is that they still have the option of retiring a decade before people in other occupations.
The retirement age was extended a few ago for teachers from 55 to 65, why can't there be the same policies implemented for gardai?
There are inequalities with some public sector workers spending almost a decade less than the private sector at work, this cannot be fair.
The McCarthy/ Bord Snip report outlined a raft of other cases highlighting that judges can retire on a full public pension despite having served only a few years in the public sector.
Greater equality is needed so that all people, no matter what their occupation, can work for the same amount of time to rebuild the economy.
There needs to be more clarity on the national retirement age, no matter what the occupation.
