Retirement Rights ?

[olddutch]

The Independent reports “French unions laid down a powerful challenge to President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age yesterday by bringing an estimated 2 Million protesters onto the streets.

The reform would progressively raise the retirement age, fixed at 60 since 1981, to 62 by 2018. Civil servants, who until now have benefited from lower pension contribution rates, would be forced to pay the same as private sector employees.

The largest anti-government demonstration took place in Paris, where unions claimed that 130,000 protestors turned out. The banner leading the procession was relatively moderate, reading: “Together, let’s act for employment, salaries, working conditions and pensions”. Others were snappier: “Lets tax shares not pensions”; “Granny in trouble”; or “Sarko, retire!” Members of the CFDT union federation, clad in orange T-shirts and baseball caps, blew whistles and vuvuzela trumps.alid, 54, was collecting signatures for the French Communist Party’s petition. He said that his party wanted higher taxes on anything that does not create jobs, like financial transactions. “It’s a question of civilisation”

On the tv news last night French protesters were claiming the right to retire at 60 is a Human Right !

The UK Government is talking about raising the UK retirement age to 70 over the next 25 years !


What do you think - is retirement at a certain age a Human Right ?

And what should the Retirement Age be in the UK and Europe ?

And should those who wish to, be entitled to work beyond state pension retirement age for as long they want ?

[jake-the-peg]

Retirement at a specific age is clearly not a human right although perhaps you could make an argument that retirement at some age perhaps should be - the reverse is obviously forcing people to work until they die.

We certainly need to remove employers ability to ditch staff just because they've reached a certain age - that is incompatible wit the aim of having people work longer.

Now the contraversial suggestion - perhaps the retirement age should be fixed on average lifespan say average lifespan-10 years

Contraversial because this varies around the country

Personally I think this would be a good idea because it would throw into sharp relief the differences in life expectancy in different places.

We'd also have a sexual equality challenge I should think - but then for years we have had women retiring earlier and living longer

[mollykins]

I might move to France . . . .

How easy is it to retire slightly early on medical grounds? For example, if you do clerical work and you get arthritis early then you should be able to retire before 65.

If you want to carry on working, why not?

[mokane002]

there is a fundemental point that everyone seems to be missing - they are not changing the retirement age - they are changing the age at which the state pension kicks in - there is nothing to stop people providing for their own retirement by building their own pension fund and retiring from 55 - we need to get away from the belief that because you pay national insurance the government owes you a pension - how many times have you heard someone say "i have paid taxes all my life and so i should be looked after" - get over it and provide for yourself - the basic state pension should be means tested - why should the likes of Terry Leahy get the same as a shop assistant?

[rowanwitch]

When I started work I expected to retire at 60.....I feel it was a contract I had with the government and country... i.e I agree to work and contribute for 42 years in return for a small state pension...
Has anyone considered it's like signing a contract with a loan company for a loan for 5 years and because the company has problems they add another couple of years onto the end and you can do nothing about it... but They wouldn't be allowed to do it ...

I feel that a whole generation has been betrayed by the previous government in this matter and will be again by the current one. Maybe it should be based on total years worked so once you have contributed 40 years you can stop, so someone out of the workplace for say 5 years would work until 63 if they started at 18
you would need an exemption/credit system to cover those who genuinely could not work though

[mollykins]

Rowan what about maternity leave, wuold you have to make the year up then aswell?

[mokane002]

Rowanwitch - you can still retire at 60 - you just need to have made you own provision for income until the state pension kicks in

[jake-the-peg]

Well Mokane that rather depends on whether or not people are SERPS contributers or not wouldn't you say.

"Get over it and provide for yourself"

Great Idea these people did

http://www.cookham.com/community/equitable/

[R1Geezer]

What a load of irrelevant b0ll0x, mokane is spot on. They are changing the age when the state gives out a pittance of a state pension in return for 40 years of contributions. The amount would keep you for a day so it's bu66er all to do with raising retirement age. Anyone can retire at any time if they have provision.

[jake-the-peg]

Er no you can't Geezer

You can stop working but you can't get at your tax free retirement contributions until you're 50 (unless they've changed the law since I last checked)

up to then it's just called "not working"

Any way I think we all know what the questions about so shall we all stop scoring silly points about semantics?

[sherminator]

retirement age changed to 55 this april

[R1Geezer]

Only if you are using a "pension" set up that the state sets the rules for. There are many other ways of saving that you can use to provide and income when the time comes.

[olddutch]

"Now the controversial suggestion - perhaps the retirement age should be fixed on average lifespan say average lifespan -10 years"

Seems a good idea, Jake - can you expand on this - with some examples of the variations you have in mind ?