Retirement age
The proposal for enhancement of retirement age for govt. servants including freedom fighters from 57 years to 60 years is being mooted since long without any realistic steps being taken to implement the same. Recently, though a proposal by the ministry for freedom fighters to enhance the retirement age of freedom fighters serving in government jobs up to 65 years has been placed in the upper echelon of the govt, but it is yet to yield any outcome. The government has formed a new committee with a view to scrutinizing all such public committee reports and to make final recommendations. On 30 July last, reportedly in a meeting of the said committee, the previous proposal of all the committees to enhance the retirement age-limit to 60 years has been rejected due to strong opposition of some influential and young bureaucrats (Amla). It was said in the report that instead of discussion on enhancing the age limit, it was discussed as to how to decrease the age-limit from present day 57 years to 55 years. If the report is correct, then it is not only surprising, but also devoid of practicality.
The enhancement of retirement age is going on all around the world. It is not a new phenomenon. Moreover, in many countries of the world, there is no fixed retirement age-limit for the employees. The condition in Bangladesh is different. In some spheres, it is 67, in others it is 65 or 60, which shows a clear disparity amongst the various departments of govt and non-govt jobs and is amounting to violation of fundamental rights as enshrined in the constitution. There have been a lot of letters, comments, articles, write-ups in the newspapers/periodicals justifying the necessity and background for enhancement of the same. Hence, the matter, perhaps, needs no further elaboration. So, the report of influencing the decision of a meeting in a negative way (as has been reported), if it is correct, is sad and surprising indeed. Taking any decision on a touchy matter in such a way may harm the popularity of the govt. It is learnt that during the tenure of the past two governments, some government servants having early promotion to higher posts were not in favour of enhancement of age limit, instead they were in favour of reduction of the same, so that they could serve a longer period due to the exit of their senior counterparts.
As the proposal had earlier been recommended by the Cabinet and only needed the approval of the then PM, so the Honourable Chief Adviser can easily give his approval to it. Besides, as the essence of various reports on public administration reform appears to be the same, the new committee needs less time for its recommendations, and not three months as has been reported in the press.
Some govt officers and employees, K.B. Rudra Road, Dhaka
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