86 year old Secretary sacked

[furryjammies]

There is an article in the DF today about a now 88 year old woman who sacked from her NHS Secretary job for I think fairly spurious reasons at the age of 86. She has won her case for unfair dismissal. Do you think there should be a cut off point for retirement or should you be able to work as long as you want? She wanted to work until 90.

Not one lecturer was under 40? Jesus, is that your starting point for old-age?

No. But it isn’t young either. Which illustrates my point that none of the 20 and 30 somethings were getting a start on their careers.

I just don’t think they should be hanging onto paid positions in their 70s and 80s thus preventing younger people getting on the career ladder.

What if you need a paid position, despite being in your 70s, in order to pay your bills?

Some people don’t want to retire because they are passionate about what they do. I see someone else has already mentioned us Supreme Court justices. Not to mention some senators , and isn’t Nancy Pelosi 78? I dare anyone to suggest these incredible minds aren’t up to the job. Closer to home my grandpa is early 90s and still working away slowly at his work. It’s research and development and not a salary position as he retired but he’s been researching, publishing and engaging in partnerships to develop a prototype. He’s slowing down a lot but... he’s not 70, he’s 90s. I’m sure there are plenty of older people who are sharp as a tack.

I am 60, I get a widow's pension and will get about 350 state pension at some point. I would retire now except that my monthly health insurance is 400, so the sums do not add up.
Minus the health I could live on my widow's pension, just. Own my house outright.
However, thanks to Brexit all this is up in the air.

A school I worked at had a good system. Several retired teachers and principals came in a couple of days a week each and worked as support for students and staff. They were paid as teacher aides, but their role was more unofficial, they would take kids for a walk who needed to calm down, acted as a grandparenty sort of role for those kids that needed it, would mentor new teachers, run professional development, just whatever was needed. They got to stay in the workforce, without the pressure of a full teaching role, and the students and staff got good support.

I don't think there should be any upper age limit if you're willing to work. As long as you're physically and mentally able to do the job then go for it.

@BowBeau
Who do you suggest does all the necessary jobs that younger people are doing at the minute if they are suddenly able to take on the jobs that older workers are currently completing?

So you’re saying it’s ok for younger people to be stuck with the shitty jobs because someone has to do them? Why are we bothering to send our kids to university then?

@Craft1905 Your information is long out of date. BA have pilots into their early 60s (their age limit has gradually increased since the 1990s) and there is no longer an age limit on football referees in the UK, and hasn't been for some years. I don't know about FIFA, as they will not be subject to UK jurisdiction.

A quick check suggests China has the highest age limit for pilots, at 68!

I don't think the model of heading to university at 18 and expecting to head straight into a professional office job is sustainable. The country has an ageing population so people are going to have to work until they are older and older in order to maintain the economic standards that we have come to expect. The only way that this will be possible is by older people being able to work in jobs that are not relatively demanding physically which means younger people will need to fill these roles while older people continue in professional roles into their 70s and 80s (and in some cases beyond).
University will still be important in giving people opportunities but it will increasingly be attended by elder learners rather than 18 year olds and those who do go at 18 will often have to gain other work experience before obtaining a job relevant to their degree.

My friend’s commercial pilot husband has just retired because at 65 he can no longer command the aircraft. He could however have continued flying but as a first officer.

If you think being old is cheap think again - it probably is when you are in your 60s a70s but wait till you start needing more help, or carers, or need taxis because you can’t drive any more. Being frail can cost a fortune.

I would love a compulsory retirement age. Say 50. (I'm 50)
Only two years to go for me and DH, can't wait. Capable people should be free to work until they drop dead if they want, but it's not for us thanks we have other plans.

My doctor retired at 91
Miss her dearly

I don't give a shiney shite what you do as a job, no one should be forced to retire based on age alone.
Loading skills, abilities, dexterity, etc and not being able to do the job I get, but just arbitrary age based sacking sucks ass.

My friend works in an accountant s she’s 77

Retirement age keeps being upped

Pensions and other aid for retirees/ the elderly keep being slashed

But yes, they should all retire so younger people can get work

Oh, and now, if you have a much younger partner, you're also fucked

Jobs are made obsolete by tech, and by the constant closing of stores, factories, moving businesses abroad or just through rejiggling staff to downsize companies outgoings

So many of us don't have the money or family to provide the childcare for us to work outside school hours

I'm jobsearching but a) am one of the aforementioned with kids and no childcare and b) have very fluctuating health needs, so I'm not really very employable

Most jobs i come across are in care homes, doing work I cannot manage, and which many parents, particularly single ones, can't manage because of the hours and/ or night shifts.

There aren't enough jobs for people who haven't got certain skillsets and experience, who do have health needs, have children to consider, and then there's the people whose mortgages will run til they're 70ish because they've only just managed to get onto the property ladder (oh and I)

Its not a cut and dry situation.

What if you need a paid position, despite being in your 70s, in order to pay your bills?

Yes, no one who favours older workers having to retire to favour the young has given an answer to this yet, have they?

Most people. Should be retiring at 67. Christ, they've worked 40 odd years. That's not ageism. Agreed, to say, as you seem to be saying, that someone who's worked 40 odd years deserves to retire isn't ageism. But what many people in this thread are saying is that anyone over 70/80/90 is incapable, and that is ageism.

Not 40 odd years, 50 odd years.

My dad was upset as having to retire as a jp at 70
He didn’t look it, still had his dark hair, brain as sharp as a tack
But that was the rules

If a person can do the job age shouldn't come into it. I have seen feckless 28-year-olds who should have been sacked. Also seen feckless 70-year-olds who should be sacked.

@Dowser Dark hair at 70 would be dyed.

Your dad's pulling your leg if he told you it's natural.

Women now in their 80's may have only paid ''the married women's rate'' into a pension, so the pension they now get is reduced. I think this is forgotten when discussing pensions.

And if they divorced a good few years ago, they will have no entitlement to any of their exes pension - pensions were in the past rarely included in divorce settlements.
Female pensioners are on average much poorer than male pensioners. And I know plenty of women working beyond retirement age because the basic state pension is not enough.
And remember for plenty of older women they were often forbidden from joining work pension schemes when young. They were for men only in some places.