Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2011 | Page 60

Island Life - February/March 2011

How will new Goverment
affect Island's over-65s?
Many Island workers are expected to

companies who welcome the proposed

a mix of ages working together, to

be given the opportunity to continue

change.

provide the best in new ideas and

their employment beyond their 65th

B&Q, whose large store in Newport is

experience. With a total workforce of

birthday following the Government’s

among 330 spread across Britain and

over 30,000, more than a quarter of its

recent announcement to phase out the

Ireland, scrapped its own retirement

workforce is over the age of 50 with a

so-called default retirement age.

age in the mid-1990s, and some Island

similar percentage under the age of 25.

Because more people are living

workers have already benefitted from

B&Q decided to test the true value

longer, Ministers have decided that

B&Q’s stance. But no one here has

of an older workforce back in the

from October employers will no longer

yet surpassed the company’s oldest

late 1980s when it staffed a store in

be able to make staff retire at 65

colleague, Syd Prior, who is 96 and

Macclesfield with employees entirely

regardless of their circumstances.

works at B&Q’s store in New Malden.

over the age of 50 and the results were

He has just celebrated two decades

compelling. Productivity increased

default retirement age (DRA) has been

working for the retailer. Meanwhile

and absenteeism fell. Since then, the

outlined in a consultation document.

B&Q’s eldest retailing apprentice,

company has promoted the value

Although the Government maintain

Terry Robinson from Oxford has just

to businesses of integrating older

employees will still be able to operate a

graduated at the age of 72 some

colleagues into the workforce.

compulsory retirement age if they can

57 years after completing his first

‘objectively justify it’, B&Q, the UK’s

apprenticeship in carpentry.

The proposal to phase out the

largest home improvement and garden

B&Q say they believe its customers,

centre retailer, is among many leading

colleagues and business benefit from

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Now it is anticipated that for exactly
the same reasons that B&Q state, other
Island companies and businesses will
follow suit, and allow their staff to
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