Friday 28 May 2010

Increasing The Retirement Age

Open Europe press summary for today includes an item reporting that the EU Commission draft ‘green book’ on pensions is suggesting that EU workers should work longer hours and retire later, or risk a “painful combination of smaller payouts and higher contributions”. The green book is just a source of advice for member states, designed to provoke debate, which sometimes leads to legislative proposals.

It has also been 'mooted' by our governments admin centre for Brussels that this would need to happen, the reason being 'to help reduce the deficit'. Actually, I think it is a 'cunning plan' by the politicos and b'crats to save state pension payments.

And there was I thinking the phrase 'work them into the ground' was a supposedly capitalist ethic!

2 comments:

Quiet_Man said...

Originally the government pension was set at 65 for the very reason that was the average lifespan. People then started living longer which meant more of a drain on the system. Personally I don't see why I should have to be forcibly retired at 65 if I'm still capable of doing my job, yet that is what happens in many companies. Perhaps the government should raise the age of the pension to 78 (the now average life span) and tell us if we wish to retire earlier, we pay for it ourselves.

Witterings from Witney said...

Agreed QM, if you wish to work on then fine. On the other hand if not......

Also bear in mind those in manual jobs especially - ground workers and the like - will find it increasingly difficult to continue at an old age.

Having worked 40/45 years should one not deserve to spend the remainder of your life in rest and peace, to do what you wish to do?

Just a thought, which when you get to that age might just make you change your mind.