Retirement age must be extended to 65 - Ayariga

Bawku Central lawmaker Mahama Ayariga is calling for an extension in the compulsory retirement age in the public sector.

The opposition lawmaker who is also lawyer says he will sponsor a private member’s bill to effect a change in the age requirement in the public sector.

“Many people start family life late and their children are mostly still in school when they are compulsorily retired and family incomes are negatively affected with dire consequences for the education of their children. Extended retirement age will ensure that youth are guaranteed family income to sponsor their education.

“With improved health care and increased life expectancy, the current compulsory retirement age of 60 years hurts the public service and judiciary and deniers them of healthy, competent and experienced people. And many of them live an additional twenty years or more and become a burden on the pension scheme which has to support them in retirement when they could actually work,” he said during the vetting of the Labour minister-designate Ignatious Baffuor-Awuah.

Meanwhile, the minister-designate for Employment says he is unaware of the “protocol” phenomenon in the public sector recruitment.

“Hon. Chair to confess, I don’t know of any devil called protocol. Devil call protocol? I do not know anything about that, but if you are referring to favours, that people seek because of perhaps their knowledge with whoever is in charge, I must say that that creates an uneven platform for all persons to compete when there is an offer. And sometimes we limit this to political appointees and all that but I must say that it’s even broader than that”.