Pension push is unworkable

■ THE advice that the retirement age must increase further is based on people living longer, though this age increase seems to have stalled over recent years.

However, the issue of having people working longer should not be viewed by just looking at the old. The young have, since the Tony Blair years, been encouraged to stay on at school longer and go to university, even when the career they end up in doesn’t warrant a university education.

As a result, many young people are not entering the workforce until their 20s, and are not paying National Insurance towards their pensions until much later. It’s different now – my generation was working at 15 and 16, so it follows that they should work to an older age to contribute by paying National Insurance for longer.

Ian Bentley, Pudsey, West Yorks

■ To make people work until they reach the age of 71 is unworkable in most jobs. Take a police officer – they get to retire at 55 or after 20 years, same with the fire service. Most retire and get another job because they are still fit and able, but millions of other workers will not have this ability, depending on their job. Many workers are burned out at 50, for example, overstretched nurses or hospital staff. I know because my wife worked on a ward. It was hard and she had to retire early due to a stroke. There’s a lot of pressure on hospital staff, which is not how it used to be.

Tony Howard, Salford

■ I see there is talk of the state pension age rising to 71.

I read that the cost of pensions will be £124billion this year, but there was no mention of how much is raised by National Insurance to pay for them.

It is ironic that talk of raising the state pension age is happening just after a cut in NI contributions.

I’d imagine most people would not mind a small increase in NI if it meant they could retire earlier.

Does this Tory government have a clue what to do with our money?

Barry Foster, Wigan

■ I wonder if anyone else feels that because the retirement age keeps rising and it is harder for young people to get jobs, it would be better if fit people of retirement age were allowed to continue working with companies using them on a part-time basis to help younger people learn their trades?

This would help generate extra income for the Government to use and also reduce unemployment and the need to learn skills. Kenneth Rheeston, Birmingham

■ Plans to raise the retirement age to 71 are completely unacceptable. The Tories want people to work until they drop before they can claim the state pension.

There needs to be mass action led by the trade unions to force the shelving of such plans, like the ones they had in France nearly a year ago.

Phil Brand, London

■ I am 72 years old and I am lucky that I am very fit and healthy, but this isn’t the case for everyone.

We can’t have a one-size-fits-all strategy and force people to work into their 70s.

We must also make sure older people feel welcome in the workplace if we want them to remain. Edie Philburn, Lancashire

■ If we are supposed to not retire before we hit 71 without a state pension, who is going to look after us when we get ill from stress and from overworking?

Not the NHS if the current government stays in power!

Sam Wilton, Middlesbrough