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Letter: Insanity of forcing older folk to work
Tuesday 2nd February 2010, 7:41AM GMT.
Letter: The recent pronouncements of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on working longer repeat the call for extended and flexible working for those above pensionable age.
Young people already have some justification for claiming that those of us born in the 40s and 50s have been a selfish generation. To reinforce this by clinging to jobs, at a time of growing unemployment among school leavers, verges on the insane.
The social and financial costs of long-term unemployment must exceed that of a state pension and the loss of experience to the work place.
Stepping out of employment at one end creates the room for others to step in.
It would make more sense to call for rigorous enforcement of mandatory retirement on those reaching pensionable age.
Stuart Sutton
Shrewsbury
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this would be true if there were a finite amount of jobs, but there isn’t. Ignoring the last 18 or months we’ve been in a growth period which in turn means that employment is available to anyone who “wants” it.
The point which you seem to have spectacularly missed is that pensioners are generally living much longer than they used to. A life expectancy of 85-90 is fairly common place now where it was rare thirty years ago. This means that there is a shortfall between the cost of pensioners and the contribution they made during their working life. The solution: increase national insurance and pension rates, or work for longer.
Death and taxes – it sucks
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“Nobody wants you when you are Old, Down and Out”.
Growing Old Sucks! …… and remember that so many of our Senior citizens contributed the going rate and more when this country was in time of confict. To retire with dignity is not just the realm of the Elite! …….. and a measure of a Societies Moral Standards are the way it treats it’s Senior Citizens.
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Retire why ?? it is a modern idea as said people live a lot longer why should they have to retire if they are fit and capabe of doing the job??.
The thing is it is a very middle class thing they retire early and facts show do die after about ten years. Mnay working class people carry on working some because they need to but most because the like it so take on a part time job keep active keep meeting people . Then go to the wealthy and I meen the proper wealthy not some of the the middle classe’s who think they are wealthy they never retire.Both my grandparents were farmers both never bothered to retire and the majority of farmers dont.
As once was said by someone to retire is to retire from life
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you will not find many manual workers wanting to work till 70-plus and who wants to push a hgv round at a similar age there should be enough provision to enable the seniors to enjoy the last ten years or so comfortobely there seems to be plenty for the less willing and the baby- boomers
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