Rose Conway-Walsh spoke about proposed legislation to prohibit employers from imposing mandatory retirement and urged the Government to reduce the state pension age to 65. She welcomed the move to ban contractual mandatory retirement but criticised the Government for resisting a reduction to 65 and said Sinn Féin will press for the change.
Legislation welcomed
She said the Government is finally acting on the Pension Commission's recommendations by introducing legislation to prohibit employers seeking a mandatory retirement age. Rose Conway-Walsh argued the measure should end the estimated 4,000 people forced out of work each year solely because their contract states they must retire.
Call to lower pension age to 65
She reiterated Sinn Féin's longstanding policy that the state pension age should be reduced to 65 and renewed her call for the Government to enact that change. She recalled that the Fingale Labour government abolished the earlier entitlement in 2013 and warned of past plans to raise the age to 68 by 2028, saying the current Government has "set its face against" lowering the age.
Impact on workers in manual and service jobs
She highlighted the particular risks for people in manual and physically demanding roles - carpenters, bricklayers, hotel staff, hairdressers and kitchen workers - saying many feel they have "done their shift" by 65. She said ending contractual retirements will help prevent sudden loss of income, the indignity of forced unemployment, and the isolation and poor mental health that can follow.
Pensions Commission and government record
Rose Conway-Walsh criticised the Government for having "kicked this issue down the road" despite establishing the Pensions Commission in the 2020 programme for Government. She said the Commission itself recognises that some occupations need flexibility and argued the Government squandered "two entire dole terms" by failing to stop employers forcing workers into retirement.
International comparison and broader argument
She compared pension ages across Europe - citing Estonia (64 years, three months), France (62), Slovakia (63), and differing ages in Bulgaria, Austria and Poland - and noted many countries have flexible arrangements. Rose Conway-Walsh questioned what national prosperity is worth if it is not used for the betterment of citizens, and closed her remarks insisting the pension age must be reduced to 65.
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Minister, while I welcome the fact that at last the Government is acting upon the recommendations of the Pension Commission which it established and introducing the legislation to prohibit employers seeking a mandatory retirement age for workers, I am calling on the Government again to reduce the age at which citizens can access their state pension to 65. People have not forgotten that this was abolished by the Fingale Labour government in 2013 and it is my belief that Fingale may have in its sights an even higher age limits in the future and we all know that they planned on raising it to 68 by the year 2028 and what a horrendous thought that would be for people in manual jobs in particular and I am thinking of carpenters and brickies of course and also the service staff and hotel making heavy beds and hairdressers on their feet all day and kitchen staff. Unfortunately this current Government has set its face against lowering the age to 65 which is a long standing Sinn Féin policy. What the Government is doing with this piece of legislation is in line with what Sinn Féin has long proposed and I note that my colleagues Louise O'Reilly TD and Claire Coran TD introduced legislation which would have the same effect in the last Dáil. It is the legislation which will bring to an end the estimated 4,000 people being forced out of their jobs each year not because they want to retire or have to retire for ill health or for any other reason but simply because it states in their contract that they must retire. This legislation will hopefully end the cliff edge fall off in income and the indignity suffered by workers who have been forced to sign on the dole for a year until they can access their state pension. It will also enable workers to continue to enjoy the social aspect of working until they can access their pension. This will help ensure that workers do not experience isolation and poor mental health brought on by loneliness. All this is to be welcomed, indeed it is long after time for its introduction. Sinn Féin will not stand in the way of this legislation, however we fundamentally believe that at the age of 65 a worker should have the choice to continue to work on if he or she so chooses or to retire and access their state pension. If we cast our mind back to 2020 election this was one of the pivotal topics and people then wanted the option to retire at 65. I believe people now still want that option. The 2020 programme for Government established the Pensions Commission in an effort to kick this issue down the road. The truth is that the Government squandered two entire dole terms and did nothing to stop employers forcing workers into retirement. It must be emphasised that the Pensions Commission Report also recognises in the case of people who work in certain occupations like hairdressers and those working in construction and retail that by the time they hit 65 they feel they have done their shift. Many do not want nor should they be compelled to work past the age of 65. That is contained within the Pensions Commission Report yet the Government ignore it. The elephant in the room is the fact that the pension age still needs to be reduced. Now Sinn Féin would do this and it can be done and Louise O'Reilly I think was going to speak next brought a motion to this house in 2021 which would have done that. At 65 people have had a lifetime of work under their belts and they should be able to access their state pension. The pension ages range across Europe, in Estonia it's 64 years and three months, in France it's 62 years, in Slovakia it's 63 years, in Bulgaria for women it's 62 years and 64 years and six months for men. In Austria and Poland women can retire at the age of 60 and many other countries have flexible arrangements. Many of these countries do not have the economic prosperity which the government so often boasts about. But what is prosperity in a state if it's not used for the betterment of its citizens? I'm taking this opportunity to call on the government to enact this legislation but not to shrink its responsibility in respect of older workers and lower the age at which people can access their state pension at 65. See you at the door.
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