Someoptions
Leaning against a wheel barrow filled with some foul smelling garbage 74- year -old R.A.L Perera was exhausted even though his working day was still young. Speaking to Daily Mirror he said that he had been cleaning the streets of Colombo for 6 years. At an age where according to country’s laws he should be enjoying his retirement–an impractical dream in the present day economic environment. “Prior to this job I was working for a milk manufacturing company. The cost of living is so high it would be impossible to survive if I do not earn an income through work,” he explained.
Walking down the streets of Colombo you could see many elderly citizens clad in orange T-shirts helping to keep the streets clean but there are so many others who need to work and live a decent life are unable to do
According to sources from the Health Ministry, the average life expectancy in Sri Lanka is 76 years. This is an increase from the life expectancy of 70 years in 2005. Consequently, since the current retirement age is 55, a citizen would live 21 years unemployed after retirement.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror the media spokesperson for the Ministry of Health DM Wanninayake said that the life expectancy has increased due to the increase in the quality of healthcare facilities. He further said that there is at least one well- equipped government hospital with well trained doctors within a 3km radius of towns.
“There is 100% coverage in Sri Lanka for communicable diseases under the National Immunization Programme. The spread of many communicable diseases have been reduced by vaccinations and in 2013 for instance, there weren’t any incidents recorded of patients contracting malaria in Sri Lanka. Any incidence recorded was among people who had returned from abroad. The number of communicable diseases recorded has dipped and we have to now address the presence of non-communicable diseases especially among the elderly,” he said.
Wanninayake also said that the elderly that represents 10% of Sri Lanka’s population is expected to double by the year 2030 which would increase in a need for geriatric health care.
“Due to the increase in the elderly population, the need to establish a geriatric hospital in Sri Lanka is under discussion. However currently, to address the needs of the elderly we are conducting programmes to ensure that they consume good food, exercise for at least 30 minutes every day and reduce their use of alcohol and tobacco products,” he said.
When we visited an elders’ home in Colombo we found that diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, Alzheimer’s, stroke and fractures were the predominant diseases that the elderly faced. past their retirement age. There are politicians who can barely walk holding high positions at public expense,” he said.
Professor Hettige however added that different options should be provided and no room left for the mistreatment if the retirement age is amended. He suggested three options to be included in the retirement plan.
to retire if they are unable to work due to health issues or lack of physical well being. Individuals to retire and engage in some other activity if they wish to. Retire and work on a part-time basis. He further added that introducing parttime employment and providing social protection for citizens once they retire would also serve as a plausible solution.
“The biggest problem in Sri Lanka is that there is no social protection for citizens once they retire. Many high- end companies employ the elderly for menial services like cleaning and it is disheartening to see the discarded elderly engaged in such activities.”
According to Professor Hettige in many developed countries the elderly engage in a lot of voluntary work. They run educational programmes and pass on their knowledge and experience to the youth. It is important to find ways to get the elderly employed and contribute to the well being of others as it is costly for a country to cater to the needs of the elderly. There are many activities the elderly can engage in without being employed and this would consequently increase the social benefits in the country. Speaking to the elderly who have retired from both the public and private sector we found that some of them were in favour of extending the retirement age, while others wanted an optional extension,” he said. was 9%. My monthly medical bill is around Rs. 3000 and I have to present myself for frequent check-ups. It is difficult for me to survive and it would be extremely helpful if they could increase the interest rates in state banks by at least another 2.5%. I wrote to the president and the secretary to the president, but I received no response. I cannot exist on this income,” he said.
Mr. Perera also said that the employees of the private sector are more efficient and punctual than those in the public sector and although pensions for government employees have been increased regularly there has been no parallel increases for private sector employees. Mr. Neville Fernando who has been employed in the public sector for more than 38 years retired when he was 60 and commenced working in the private sector. Speaking to the Daily Mirror Mr. Fernando said that it is fair to retire at 60, but remaining unoccupied for long periods of time did affect his health. “When you approach 60 your body becomes weak and it is difficult to work. However you need to be occupied to get your mind off things. I suffered three heart attacks in my fifties and I have other illnesses, but when I work here my mind is at ease. It would not be fair by youngsters looking for employment if the retirement age is raised. However alternatives for the elderly need to be considered,” he said
Mr. M.I.M Ismail a resident of Slave Island worked in the private sector for 36 years and retired when he was 55. Speaking to Daily Mirror he said that it would be better to raise the retirement age so that retirees could attend to the needs of their familes. “When you have three or more children in the family and retire at 55, your last child is still studying in school. The retirement age needs to be extended and an allowance provided for employees of the private sector. I do receive funds from the Employees Provident Fund, but that is not sufficient. We are just managing to survive from the earnings of my daughter and son- in- law,” he said.
Mr. Ismail further said that it is difficult to get a job once you retire.“Most employers don’t like employing retired people. We can’t get into big companies once we retire and small firms that employ us do not pay enough. The physical and mental fitness of a person needs to be tested once they approach the retirement age and people who are fit should be allowed to work,” he said. The youth however are not exactly in favour of increasing the retirement age.
Speaking to Daily Mirror Aamir Imtiaz a college student said that the retirement age should not be increased as public corporations in Sri Lanka are already inefficient. “Most of the employees work so that they could secure their pension. Increasing the retirement age in the public sector would create an unfavourable climate in the economy. Increasing the retirement age in the private sector wouldn’t matter as there are many CEOs well over 70 years who are still playing an active role in their company,” he said.
Shamrin Shiraz another college student however said that with developments made in technology it would be best if the youth are given opportunities to exercise their talents as the modern business environment requires energetic individuals who are risk averse, capable and competent. “Implementing such measures would help increase efficiency, reduce production time and help facilitate economic growth and development and uplift the quality of life. Thus raising the retirement age would inhibit the growth and development of the nation,” he said.
Statistics provided by the Labour Department show that although the labour force participation rate is increasing and the unemployment rate decreasing, there is an increase in the dependency ratio together with an increase in the elderly population. With advances in technology, both youth skills and the experience of the elderly are needed for development.