Upping the retirement age is a necessary reform

Jul 24, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Reference is made to a letter captioned, “Some examples of marginalisation for Dr Misir”, (SN15/4/8) which was signed by W. Samuels.

In trying to prove that there is African marginalisation, Samuels claims that the rule of having Public Servants retire at 55 years of age “marginalises” African members of the Public Service only! Such statements from Africanists reduce the whole marginalisation argument to a nonsensical joke.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s the Public Service Union (then Civil Service Association) bitterly fought to have the age of retirement reduced to 55 years from 60 years.

The reason for this struggle to reduce the age of retirement was to create openings for junior public servants.

For some time the State has been considering upping the age of retirement to 60 or 65 years but the unions have been opposing this.

Indeed, recently, the NIS Reform Committee has recommended the extension of the retirement age to 65 years in keeping with demographic trends, the situation world-wide and the ensuring of the survival of the NIS.

There was the additional reason of the depletion of skills due to the brain drain. But there has been strong opposition to such a necessary reform.

I do hope if or when the Government extends the age of retirement of Public Servants to 60 or 65 years, W. Samuels and other Africanists will not cry out “marginalisation” and “discrimination.”
B. Walker

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