The Irish government has raised the retirement age for police officers, defense forces and prison staff in a bid to tackle the staffing crisis, The Journal writes on March 5.
In 1990 a rule was introduced according to which persons entering contract service in the security forces after 1994 had to resign upon reaching the age of 50. Combined with problems with state pension funding, this has created a staffing crisis. Now security forces will not be required to retire when they turn 50.
Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, commenting on the government’s initiative, said the measures being taken will help retain valuable expertise in the security forces. At the same time, the upper hiring age limit is raised from 26 to 39 years.
Donoghue promised that amendments to pension legislation would be adopted in parallel to mitigate the consequences of the reform. The so-called rapid pension accumulation system will remain in force until age 60.
It should be noted that this is the first such increase in the retirement age since 1963. The Association of Retired Officers (RACO) welcomed the move but warned against raising the admission age.
“From 2018, RACO is committed to raising the mandatory retirement age and this will go some way, but not entirely, to closing the much-publicised gap between forced early retirement and access to the state pension.”the organization said in a statement.
Recall that the labor court previously declared the age limit for joining the police service illegal.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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