A chara, – The OECD is quite correct in pointing out that future demographic and financial concerns may force the pensionable age to rise beyond 68 (Home News, April 23rd), but a cautionary note must be sounded – this cannot happen alone through legislation for pensions.
Older workers must be incentivised to retrain in order to work in areas more suited to their physical capacity at ages 66 and over. Employers must be incentivised to hire and retain older workers.
Above all, steps must be taken to ensure older people are living healthier lives and are supported to continue in employment in a variety of manners, should they choose to do so.
Those who enter retirement or semi-retirement should have their contributions to society outside the workplace acknowledged and rewarded. Ireland needs to rethink retirement as we know it, and start a new conversation on ageing. Simply shifting an arbitrary age, and ignoring a holistic approach to the demographic change, will not cut the mustard. – Is mise,
PETER KAVANAGH,
Information & Networking
Officer,
Active Retirement Ireland,
Mary’s Abbey,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – Martin Wall writes that public servants in place before July last receive pensions of half their salary (Home News, April 20th). For clarity, he should have stated that this full entitlement would only accrue after 40 years’ service at a rate of 1/80th of salary per year and that public servants contribute approximately 12 per cent of their salary to earn this benefit.
The public and private sectors have been truly polarised in this country, with some parties actively pursuing this agenda. Ambiguous reporting only serves to further demonise the public sector. – Yours, etc,
TOM HALPIN,
Collierstown,
Tara, Co Meath.