Insult to over 65s

UNLESS you happen to be self employed, a company director, a member of the Oireachtas or a judge, chances are you will have to retire at the age of 65 whether you want to or not.

That is because most contracts of employment insist on it.

However, since 2014, retirees cannot collect the State pension until age 66, which will rise to 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028.

That leaves those aged 65 in the ridiculous position of having to ‘sign on’ as a jobseeker with benefit of €188 a week only lasting 50 weeks.

The Government announced yesterday that it will implement the recommendations of an inter-departmental group that workers should be given the option to work beyond retirement age.

However, those recommendations fall at the first hurdle: it does not compel employers to retain staff over 65 if they wish to continue working. Neither does it cover the gap between retirement and when retirees can collect the State pension, forcing them onto Jobseeker’s Benefit.

This is a missed opportunity and an insult to older people.