‘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.

Subsequently, that programme, published in June 2007, made the following commitment:

“The Government is determined to improve the income and employment conditions of older people. We appreciate that compulsory retirement does not adequately reflect many people’s abilities or expectations. Those reaching retirement age should be allowed to retire if they wish, but those who would prefer to stay at work should be facilitated in doing so. We will:

* Introduce phased retirement which allows workers a greater say in their retirement age.

* Increase the State pension for every year that a person over 66 delays taking it. Thus, additional PRSI contributions made after the age of 66 will be added to the pension when it is drawn down.

* Guard against age-related discrimination in the workplace.

This commitment needs to be delivered as a matter of human rights for older people.

As our population ages and life expectancy increases, we need a coherent strategy to manage the issue of age discrimination and to redefine what society should expect from people who live past retirement age. Can Irish society really afford to pension people off at 65? In this youth-obsessed culture, are we so blind to the experience and wisdom of the generation that helped to build modern Ireland? If all citizens are to be valuable members of society, then we must do something to end the cliff-edge between working life and retirement. A lot of us will live a further quarter of our lives after retirement age.

Are we to spend this time as inconsequential creatures banished to the periphery of the communities we helped to build?

My vision is of a society where our later lives are just as fulfilling as our younger years. Let us build a society that focuses on the potential of individuals instead of making prejudiced assumptions about capability based on a person’s age.

Although the Celtic Tiger may have lost its roar, the Grey Panther has just begun to growl. Ireland cannot afford to waste this potential.

Senator Mary White

Leinster House

Kildare Street

Dublin 2