Mr. Henry Gaynor:

I have spoken to my colleagues at work about what we think should happen. First, everyone should be brought up to 65. Some people can retire at 50. More people can retire at 60. If further measures are needed when everyone is at 65, it would be more acceptable to raise the age together for everyone. We also feel that retrospective changes are a step too far. When changes are made in the public sector, they are generally applied to new people going forward. We feel that any changes should apply to new entrants to the workforce. In 2012, a significant change was made as part of the reform of public sector pensions. Why not use that date and say that the changes being implemented relate to those who started work after 2012? We feel that going back to the 1960s to get at private sector workers is going back too far. Many people who left school young in the 1960s have been working for 50 years. I remind the committee that work was a lot harder then than it is now. We are always told to plan our pensions and tick all the boxes, for example by making additional voluntary contributions. However, as we approach retirement, we do not know where we stand.

We believe the Government should legislate to ensure employers keep us on in our jobs. At the moment, we are depending on the goodwill of the employers who are deciding whether to keep us on. In my workplace, we have to let management know two months in advance whether we are planning to stay on. If management agrees to allow us stay on, we have to undertake a medical and seek the approval of the human resources division. Up to two months before retirement age, we might not know where we stand. We feel legislation should be passed to remove this uncertainty.

I am aware that a letter has been sent to this committee by officials in the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation who seem to be of the view that a person who is let go at the age of 65 can take an unfair dismissals case against his or her employer. To be honest, do people who are about to retire want to be starting litigation against their employers? A retiring person who has no pension does not want to start litigation. That is no way for anyone to start retirement.

A solicitor who wrote an article about this issue in The Sunday Business Poston 11 January last conceded that this is "very much a grey area". She suggested that a court might rule in favour of one person but against another person. An employer can use several reasons to justify letting people go. There is no security at all for anybody approaching retirement. We feel let down, to be honest.