With people now living longer, they should be encouraged to keep working for longer.
That’s according to a Sligo/Leitrim TD who has called in the Dail for firemen to be retained past the age of 58.
Fianna Fail Deputy Eamon Scanlon says that every year, older people are forced out of their job for no other reason than that they reach a certain age.
He says firemen, who provide services on what’s known as a retained — rather than a fulltime — basis in most rural towns, should be kept on after retirement age if they are willing and fit to do the job.
He says these workers, just like other older workers, are entitled to have their say and be heard in this regard:
Reply to Deputy Scanlon, Damien English, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, indicated it wasn’t brought to his attention as a major issue but he said he would look into it.
