Pensioners working more 'to avoid old-age poverty'
Pensioners working more 'to avoid old-age poverty'
Published: 28 Aug 12 12:44 CET
The number of German pensioners working “mini-jobs” to supplement their income has risen by 60 percent since 2000, it was revealed on Tuesday. The figures prompted warnings of an old-age poverty epidemic.
In 2000, 280,000 pensioners had the €400-a-month jobs, which are exempt from taxes and national insurance contributions. This figure has risen to around 761,000, the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said on Tuesday.
And of these, 120,000 were 75 and older, newspaper said. The information was secured from the government by the far-left Linke parliament party.
A further 154,000 people of pensionable age are working in more lucrative positions – twice as many as since then end of 1999 – and 80,000 of these are working full time. These figures, which the Süddeutsche Zeitung got from the national labour agency, do not include freelancers.
Job market expert Holger Schäfer of the Cologne Institute for Economic research (IW) said many older people “chose to work because it keeps them active.”
Because most people working in old age are highly-qualified “this shows that financial necessity is, in many cases, not the driving motive for staying in employment,” Schäfer added.
But others, like chairwoman of large lobbying group for socially disadvantaged groups VdK Ulrike Mascher, see the situation as much more alarming, and are warning of a wave of old-age poverty sweeping over the country.
Mascher told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that when it came to employed over-75s “they are rarely university professors who fancy keeping up their job, rather pensioners who are delivering papers, stacking supermarket shelves and doing other unattractive jobs to subsidise their measly pension.”
Government figures seem to support Mascher's concerns, as an average monthly pension payment is dropping. In 2000, an average person who took retirement after paying into the system for 35 years would have been set to receive €1,021 a month. By 2011, this had sunk to €953.
Those who had earned a reduced income, such as those who had worked part-time, would be looking at even less.
And though the Labour Ministry has said that sinking pension payments were “not synonymous with retracting financial situation” of current retirees, and that other forms of income are becoming more accessible for pensioners - like renting out property, or separate savings accounts – other politicians disagree.
“We are hurtling into mass old age poverty,” said Matthias Birkwald, pension policy spokesman of the Linke. “Falling pensions have to be stopped.”
The Local/jcw
And of these, 120,000 were 75 and older, newspaper said. The information was secured from the government by the far-left Linke parliament party.
A further 154,000 people of pensionable age are working in more lucrative positions – twice as many as since then end of 1999 – and 80,000 of these are working full time. These figures, which the Süddeutsche Zeitung got from the national labour agency, do not include freelancers.
Job market expert Holger Schäfer of the Cologne Institute for Economic research (IW) said many older people “chose to work because it keeps them active.”
Because most people working in old age are highly-qualified “this shows that financial necessity is, in many cases, not the driving motive for staying in employment,” Schäfer added.
But others, like chairwoman of large lobbying group for socially disadvantaged groups VdK Ulrike Mascher, see the situation as much more alarming, and are warning of a wave of old-age poverty sweeping over the country.
Mascher told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that when it came to employed over-75s “they are rarely university professors who fancy keeping up their job, rather pensioners who are delivering papers, stacking supermarket shelves and doing other unattractive jobs to subsidise their measly pension.”
Government figures seem to support Mascher's concerns, as an average monthly pension payment is dropping. In 2000, an average person who took retirement after paying into the system for 35 years would have been set to receive €1,021 a month. By 2011, this had sunk to €953.
Those who had earned a reduced income, such as those who had worked part-time, would be looking at even less.
And though the Labour Ministry has said that sinking pension payments were “not synonymous with retracting financial situation” of current retirees, and that other forms of income are becoming more accessible for pensioners - like renting out property, or separate savings accounts – other politicians disagree.
“We are hurtling into mass old age poverty,” said Matthias Birkwald, pension policy spokesman of the Linke. “Falling pensions have to be stopped.”
The Local/jcw
The Indian ExpressRe-employment for retirees to help state generate Rs 1,000 cr
To generate an additional Rs 1,000 crore, the Punjab government on Tuesday decided to offer an option of re-employment for a period of one year to all its retiring employees at the age of 58 years. Initially, the proposal was to increase the retirement age of government employees from 58 to 60 years.
This has been done to cope with the shortage of 35,000 employees whose recruitment will take about a year’s time. To ensure that the decision does not adversely affect the employment prospects of the youth, the maximum age limit for recruitment will be enhanced from 37 to 38 years.
“This will save Rs 1,000 crore for the government. We will amend the service rules accordingly so that these cannot be challenged in courts,” a senior government official said.
In 2010, the government had increased the retirement age for one time for the employees retiring between January 22 and December 31. The decision was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which quashed the government order pertaining to the extension in service.
Later, the government again filed a fresh plea to defer the implementation of the ruling. This was also declined by the court. Following this, the government directed all the heads of departments to immediately relieve employees who were given a one-year extension in service after the cabinet nod.
“Soon, the government will issue a notification after amending the rules. Employees retiring a day after the notification will be eligible for re-employment for one year. Employees who are set to retire within one year of the notification will be employed,” an official said.
The Indian Express
Finally, UP adopts law to protect its old
Last state to implement the Act under which tribunals will be set up to hear aged parents’ grievances
Old parents neglected by their children have something to cheer about. The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the proposal to adopt “The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Act, 2007”.
With this, UP became the last state in the country to implement the Act.
The legislation is meant “to provide more effective provisions for maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens, guaranteed and recognised under the Constitution’’.
The state government will set up maintenance tribunals chaired by the sub-divisional magistrates to deal with the matters relating to the maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens. District magistrates will be its appellate authority.
“With the cabinet decision to adopt this Act, there will be a legal framework to address the grievances of parents and senior citizens across the state. Children, who ignore their parents, can be jailed for a period of three months or imposed fine or face both,” said Sadakant, Principal Secretary (Social Welfare). He said the government would soon notify the provisions of the Act.
A committee headed by Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani will examine ways for its proper implementation as well to stop its misuse.
Under the Act, “senior citizen” is defined as a person who is a citizen of India and has attained the age of 60 years, while “welfare” means provisions for food, health, care, recreation and other amenities for the senior citizen. A “senior citizen” includes a parent who is unable to maintain himself.
An important provision of this Act is that no legal practitioner can be involved by both the parties concerned in such matters. District Social Welfare Officer will be designated as the maintenance officer.
Under its provisions, government hospitals funded fully or partially by the government shall provide beds for all senior citizens. “Separate queues be arranged for senior citizens,” says another provisions of the Act.
OTHER decisions
Noida land back to Irrigation Dept
The cabinet cleared a proposal to allow the Irrigation Department to take back land measuring about 895 acres from Noida authorities. The land was transferred to NOIDA during the previous BSP government. The cabinet also cleared a proposal to fix accountability of those officers who played a role in the land transfer.
Honorarium for political detainees
A proposal to give Rs 3,000 per month as honorarium to political detainees, who were arrested and jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act and Defence of India Rules during late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s emergency rule from 1975 to 1977, was cleared by the cabinet. The beneficiaries will be given free medical treatment in government hospitals, besides free passes to travel in government buses.
Land for HC judges
The cabinet cleared allotment of about 36,750 square metre land at Mushtkharja village in Allahabad’s Sadar subdivision for providing housing facilities to judges of the High Court.
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