Oshiomhole abolishes 35-year retirement policy for Edo workers

►Oshiomhole has abolished the 35-yr retirement policy as the state workers are now to retire at the age of 60.
►Having taken the pains to clean up our records and carry out appropriate biometrics.

GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has abolished the 35-year retirement policy for workers in the state as the state workers are now to retire at the age of 60, regardless of whether they have put in 35 years in the state civil service.

Delivering the independence anniversary gift to the workers at a meeting with labour leaders at Government House, yesterday, Oshiomhole described the compulsory 35 years as obnoxious.

“Our own anniversary gift to workers of Edo State, especially those in the public service has to do with the issue of pension. Over the years, while I was in the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, I had wondered why we have a policy in the public sector which is unique to the public sector in which we appear to punish experience. We are compelled to retire because you have put in X number of years.

“Having taken the pains to clean up our records and carry out appropriate biometrics of our public servants and made corrections where errors were discovered, I believe that about 90 to 95 percent of our records as regards to age can now be said to be correct.

“That being so, there is no reason for us to continue to use our obnoxious policy of 35 years as a basis to determine one’s years of service in the public service. Therefore, government has decided to abolish this policy and uphold only that aspect of retirement that has to do with age.”