Imperative Of Harmonizing Retirement Age For All Workers

Imperative Of Harmonizing Retirement Age For All Workers

The agitation for upward review of retirement age from the statutory age of sixty in the country to sixty-five years appears to be getting the desired attention.

As the Nigerian Labour Congress NLC under the leadership of comrade Joe Ajero had in the twilight of the last administration approached the former President Mahammadu Buhari with a view to harmonizing the retirement age for all workers.

Although, there was insufficient time for the administration to act on the request, the union was however advised to carry over the request to the current government for necessary consideration and action.

The move by the organized labour must not only be commended but also be realized that the decision by the Nigeria Labour Congress to demand for the harmonization of retirement age for all workers in Nigeria was borne out of the desire to address injustice and lopsidedness in the system.

This is because some sections of the workforce in the country today are already enjoying the retirement age of sixty-five.

For instance, Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT and all tertiary institutions in the country both academic and non-academic staff as well as the judiciary have had their retirement age extended to sixty-five years.

Also, recently, the National Assembly passed a Bill to extend its parliamentarian workers retirement age from sixty to sixty-five after several months of protests, rejections and threats of industrial action over the matter.

Perhaps, for the avoidance of industrial disharmony in the country, the National CONFAB, in 2014 as part of its recommendations urged the federal government to extend retirement age of workers to sixty-five or forty years in service to encourage higher productivity and socio-economic wellbeing of Nigerian workers.

Apart from this, it will drastically reduce the age falsification of employees at the point of entry.

It will also bring to its barest minimum the tide of seeking for greener pasture elsewhere thereby stifling some government agencies of their best hands as currently being witnessed in the country.

It should be noted however that the demand for extension of retirement age to sixty-five is not peculiar to Nigerian workers as this is the normal practice in many developed economies of the world for their workers.

In 2020 for instance, countries like Demark, USA, Finland, and Canada extended retirement age of their workers to sixty-five while Iceland, Israel and Norway had in the same year increased retirement age of their workforce to sixty-seven years.

These are countries that have better remuneration packages for their workers.

In fact, some of these countries allowed their workers to stay longer in service to protect and elongate the lives of their workers, knowing that majority of retirees die early due to loneliness and inactiveness.

It also helps those countries to spend less in caring for retirees as senior citizens upon retirement.

Unlike here in Nigeria where retirees are made to suffer over a paltry payment of retirement benefits.

Therefore, it becomes pertinent for all Nigerians to join hands with the Nigerian Labour Congress NLC on this noble request in ensuring that extension of retirement age of sixty-five years is realized.

Beyond this, the organized labour and its allies should work in collaboration with the National Assembly to come up with a bill to that effect to bring the request to fruition.

While waiting for the necessary step to be taken by the Nigerian Labour Congress it is hoped that Mr.
President, as a labour friendly leader will through executive fiat announce the harmonization of retirement age of sixty-five years alongside the much awaited new national minimum age as a renewed hope package for all Nigerian workers.

By Godson Enejor, Edited By Grace Namiji