Sinn Féin TD for Galway East, Louis O’Hara, has welcomed legislation known as the Employment (Contractual Retirement Ages ) Bill. Where an employee does not consent to retire at their contractual retirement age, the Bill will have the effect of extending the retirement age in their contract to 66, at which age people may access the State Pension.
Speaking in the Dáil, Teachta O’Hara welcomed the legislation which would allow workers to continue working until they can access the State Pension.
“Many workers who have a contractual retirement age lower than the pensionable age are being forced out of their jobs. This can lead to a significant drop in income for workers but it’s also insulting to people who have worked their entire lives to be forced onto the dole before they can access the full pension and it has caused significant hardship for many older citizens,” he said.
However, Deputy O’Hara urged the Government to go further by restoring the right to retire at 65 and allowing people to continue working past 65 if they choose to do so.
“After a lifetime of work, people deserve the right to retire on the full pension at 65 or continue to work if they choose to do so. They should be given the freedom to make that choice.
“People who have had a lifetime working on their feet in hospitality, or doing hard labour on construction sites, simply cannot be expected to continue working into their late 60s and beyond. People who have worked really hard and have given all they can at the age of 65 deserve the right to retire on the full pension then,” he said.
He agrees that at the same time there must be flexibility for workers who wish to continue working beyond the pension age and that this decision should be on their terms.
“That would be a fair and pragmatic approach. It respects the rights of our workers to retire with dignity at 65 if they so wish while also respecting the contributions of those who wish to remain active in the workplace.
“It gives maximum choice to workers, it would benefit our economy and society and needs to be taken on board by Government, you need to listen to workers and treat them fairly,” he concluded
