Should the state retirement age be scrapped?

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Rebecca Atkinson
Tue, 14/07/2009 - 12:34

The government is to review whether to scrap the state retirement age in 2010, a year earlier than expected.

It has never made a secret of the fact it would like to get rid of the state retirement age and help people work beyond the age of 65, in order to take account of smaller pensions and longer life expectancy.

Read more here

Do you think employers should be able to retire their staff at 65?

Would you want to keep working beyond this age?

Share your views below...

 

 

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John Ratcliffe (not verified):

65 always has been too old anyway, never mind making it later still. I think retirement age should be around 21

Tue, 14/07/2009 - 15:03
margaret caiger-watson (not verified):

I do not feel that people should be forced to retire after the age of 65 years if they are happy to continue to work. Given that more people are now living alone they need to be able to work to pay their bills etc., Experience cannot be bought but should be acknowledged.

Tue, 14/07/2009 - 15:34
Lee (not verified):

State retirement age should be 55-75 With the employee having the option to retire anytime in that 20 year period. After age 70, anyone daft enough to want to continue to work should be allowed to subject to a maximum of 20 hours per week. After age 75 that should be it no more work unless it is unpaid.

If what we are told regarding the ageing population is true then my kids will be working to pay for more older people than I am. The need for the older people to be able to work to help contribute towards their pensions by paying tax should help ease the burdon on the young.

Tue, 14/07/2009 - 16:58
Roger C (not verified):

I worked for over 40 years before retiring. By that time the job was beginning to affect my health and I have to live with the problems for the rest of my life. Retirement should be based on years worked not age. It is all very well to scrap the retirement age but working, as seems to be desired by the government, until you drop is not my idea of the ideal life.

Tue, 14/07/2009 - 18:00
Guest (not verified):

people are havig to work past 65 just to live , the goverment just pinch it all off them in tax, what a joke this goverment is, stop taxing the oap,s still we are the daft ones WE LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT more fool us

Tue, 14/07/2009 - 18:10
Guest (not verified):

Preventing people working past 65, if they want to, hurts the country's economy. Very soon it will be realised that everyone will be better off, if we allow those who want to work beyond 65, to carry on working (1) thereby supporting themselves (2) contributing to the GDP and (3)saving the rest of the population the extra tax and national insurance payments needed to support a growing fraction of those aged over 65.

Tue, 14/07/2009 - 23:26
stshar:

If you can still do the Job, you feel well and this is what you want to do then by all means let people make their own choice. But most of all is if you can afford to, with the value of Pensions going down and down. The choice must be left up to the indiviual not the Companies.

Wed, 15/07/2009 - 05:58
tom (not verified):

I think the state retirement age should be scrapped, I was forced to retire at seventy two, I have worked since I was fourteen years old, and having a wide number of skills ,would have benefited younger workers .I am still fit @ healthy ,and I feel all my valueable experience,@ skills ,like myself ,Have been thrown on the scrapheap...

Wed, 15/07/2009 - 12:11
Guest (not verified):

by the time I get to 65 I will have worked 44 years full time for the NHS. I would like to retire while I'm still reasonably healthy and can enjoy my retirement. If people want to work beyond 65 that is fine with me but the way my health is going even 65 looks difficult

Fri, 17/07/2009 - 13:48
Guest (not verified):

Only someone nowhere near retirement age – or in a really cushy job could think of allowing people to work well beyond 65!
I see too many people who are just living until their pensions kick in!
One needs a goal – “just two more years, I can manage that!” keeps one going. Beyond retirement age, health becomes an issue. I retired two years ago and I still feel guilty – then I remember the stress (I was a teacher).
Look at all the old doddery, out of touch judges around – that alone should be incentive for an early retirement age!

Fri, 17/07/2009 - 14:01
mogs:

I think a state retirement age of 65 should be retained and employers be able to retire staff at a designated age.  At present there are thousands of young people - graduates and school leavers - who are unable to get a job and start their working lives.  Also younger workers who are unable to get promotions because older workers are blocking their career paths.

Employers should be able to negotiate individual contracts and hours for those who wish to stay on after retirement age.  But they should not be compelled to keep on staff beyond retirement.

I retired at 62 (female), hubby at 65.  We both were ready to retire from our respective jobs, and now enjoy new and different activities at a time to suit us. 

 

 

Fri, 17/07/2009 - 16:16
Guest (not verified):

I'm now 67, Took early retirement at 55 from a very stressful job. I now feel fitter and healthier than I did at 55 and would love to get a part-time job. I have a lot of experience of life as well as my professional career. Why should I be refused employment?

Fri, 17/07/2009 - 18:50
SantaClaus (not verified):

I worked for over 41 years, I was made to pay into the fraudulent Government Pension Scheme run by these Governments (Tory & Labour). If I was not receiving my pension now who the hell would get the money they stole of me over the 41 years.
I also had a private pension for which I got a better return than the Government one.
When "SERPS" was in progress I worked until Tuesday evening before I actually started to earn money for myself.
If the Government brings this idea into force how much money are they going to give back to the people who have already paid into the National Insurance fiddle.

By the way I am now 76 and took early retirement at 57 and it was the best thing I have ever done.

Mind I work longer unpaid hours in the Voluntary Sector doing things to help other people worse off than me due no fault of their own.

I now do what I want, when I want, and for who I want.

Does anyone realise if everyone keeps working till they dead who is going to help people in the Voluntary Sector ???????

If the Government wants save money STOP the MP's and Civil Servants from creating all the fiddles they get up to.

Fri, 17/07/2009 - 20:06
Guest (not verified):

Are we forgetting that our predecessors fought long an hard to improve the lot of the working by raising the starting age from 10 years and providing a state pension at 60/65 so that those less fortunate are not forced to work. If people over 65 are so keen to work why not do so voluntarily.

Sun, 19/07/2009 - 14:12
Alternative Thinker. (not verified):

Retirement should be scrapped in favour of more flexability in general. For example, why cant we take a year off when we can afford it then go back to our job? I would be happy to work for as long as my health would allow if I knew I could take a year off here and there, even more so if I received my state pension allowance whilst I was off. The goverment could work out a system to estimate how much state pension a person would normally receive in their lifetime and allow you to claim it at any time, but when you've used it, thats it! Up to you if you decide to save it or spend it.
It would also be an opportunity for the workshy to fill in for that year, and get them off benefits for a short while.

Fri, 04/09/2009 - 15:09
waggon:

I think it should be scrapped , if you want to work passed 65 that should be your choice ,

a scool leaver would not be able to walk into a job they have never done so i dont think an older worker is stopping an inexperienced school leaver from work .

Wed, 09/09/2009 - 09:43
Guest (not verified):

The retirement age of 65 should be scrapped. If you are capable,able + in good health,why should you have to stop working

Tue, 15/09/2009 - 17:02