‘Grey Panthers’ should not be forced out to grass

THESE days most of the column inches in our newspapers are consumed by the global economic crisis to which Ireland is far from immune.

As a business woman, I believe our competitive advantage is increasingly dependent on knowledge, experience and the working practices of our companies, yet as a society we still insist the most experienced and skilled members of our workforce are pensioned off at the age of 65.

As the Government Spokesperson for Older People in the Seanad, I actively campaigned last year for the abolition of the mandatory retirement age to be included in the new programme for government.