Maravi

Make 60 retirement age, advises ex-civil servant

Make 60 retirement age, advises ex-civil servant
By Maluba Jere
Mon 24 Oct. 2011, 09:00 CAT

A RETIRED civil servant says the statutory retirement age should be 60 while 65 should be optional. In an interview yesterday, Lottie Sikazwe Chellah, a former public service commissioner, said the proposed retirement age of 65 should be voluntary because some people were still energetic and vibrant to work.

Chellah said after working for 50 years, one would have gained a lot of experience and could contribute effectively to the family as well as the nation.

"I am talking from experience. We retired people at 55 years and within five years of being retirees they came back and applied for jobs because they had become destitute," Chellah said. "And in most cases, these people are taken back on, so let us make it retirement at 60 years compulsory."

He said while there was need to consider the life expectancy of Zambians, the retirement age of 65 may be extreme.

However, he said the current retirement age of 55 needed to be relooked.

"A perfect example is for teachers and nurses. When a nurse retires, you find that she is again hired to continue working in the same hospital and they are some of the best performers because they have the experience and they are settled," Chellah said.

And in his message to mark Zambia's 47th independence anniversary, Chellah appealed to President Michael Sata to liberate the people of Zambia by addressing the high poverty levels in the country.

He said Zambians would never be truly free if they remained in poverty.

"This is a time to remember how we struggled for our independence. We struggled but we are not free as long as the poverty levels in this country remain high," said Chellah. "President Sata should liberate this country truly by dealing with issues affecting the people."

Labels: LOTTIE CHELLAH, PENSIONERS, RETIREMENT AGE

posted by MrK @ 3:27 PM