Nadir: No plans to extend retirement age
Stabroek News
December 9, 2006
Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir says he has no intention of advancing any proposal for a possible extension of the mandatory retirement age of 55 years for public service employees.
Nadir was at the time responding to a query from Stabroek News regarding whether government would consider an extension in light of the constant migration of skilled persons from these shores.
"Where persons have retired and we might be in short supply we hire persons on special contract, but I am not in favour of advancing such (a) provision," he insisted.
The minister said he believed that persons who remain in the system must be given an opportunity to grow and move upward, while it could still benefit from the service of those who were in the system before and might be much more experienced with its operations.
"If the older persons can still work and we require their services we could have them on the job by using a service contract but generally, I believe that staff renewal is good for any profession or organization," Nadir asserted.
A possible extension of the retirement age for public servants has been brought up in many circles for discussion, particularly in wake of an extension of the category of skilled persons allowed to travel and work in Caricom countries under the Caricom Single Market, as well as the increased number of Guyanese teachers and nurses migrating.