With reference to Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) report on preparation for retirement:
Chris Ball, Chief Executive of TAEN ñ The Age and Employment Network, says :
ìGovernment policy is pushing people off the retirement cliff edge.
We know from first hand experience that more and more people want to extend their working lives and turn retirement from an event into a process ñ perhaps lasting between five and ten years.
ìSome forward-thinking employers are giving their employees the opportunity to gradually wind down by offering flexible working options of one kind or another. The DWP, to its credit, is among them.
ìHowever, the Governmentís own policy of introducing a default retirement age of 65* means they are responsible for many older workers being pushed over the retirement cliff edge by their employers.
ìSo, if the government is serious about providing a gradual ëstep-downí for those who donít want, or canít afford, to stop working just yet, it should scrap the default retirement age without further delay rather than waiting for the 2011 review.
ìSince April 2006 people have been allowed to semi-retire by working part-time while drawing a pension from the same employer. The pity is that a miniscule number of employers have so far introduced this facility.
ìTAEN is convinced that ending the ëcliff edgeí approach is long overdue. However, the practical barriers need removing for the flexible approach to gather momentum.î
Govenment pushing people off the retirement cliff edge says TAEN
In response to Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) report on preparation for retirement
