UNIVERSITY and College students gathered outside the Ministry of Finance yesterday demonstrating against a recent government decision to increase the retirement age in the public sector on the island from 60 to 63.
Students argued that the recent government decision would only have the wrong repercussions on employment among youngsters. Finance Minister Makis Keravnos refuted their complaints, saying the limit was changed to properly use current government employees. He said young people shouldn’t be against the recent decision simply because they feel it lowers their chance of getting a job in the public sector.
Yiannis Economides from the Ministry of Education also believes the students have their sights set on snapping up a comfortable job in the public sector.
“Despite PASYDY approving the new ruling, the students and teachers do not. I suppose they have their own reasons, because they want to look out for their futures.”
Haris Karabassis, a student at Frederick Institute of Technology, told the Cyprus Mail the government’s decision would fuel the unemployment on the island.
“As far the retirement limit decision stands, the student union as well as the pupil’s union completely disagrees with this decision. Our stance on this issue is crystal clear; we disagree with this decision from the government because the extension of the retirement age will have negative consequences such as more unemployment for youngsters in the governmental as well as the private sector.”
The 200 students who demonstrated in the rain outside the steps of the Ministry chanted slogans like “Slam the breaks on unemployment, don’t increase the retirement age to 63” for about 30minutes before the Head of the Public Administration and Personnel Department of the Ministry of Finance, George Papageorgiou came out to receive the petition.
Savvas Lazarou of the Student’s Union then handed the signed petition to Papageorgiou, amid continuous slogan chanting from the students in the background.
Speaking on his departure to Athens, Makis Keravnos said there are thousands of positions in the public sector available for youngsters, adding that the current employment procedures are operating at a slow pace and that because of that slow pace, no more than 300 people can be employed in the public sector every year.
Keravnos then hit out at the students’ public denunciation of the government’s decision, saying that he “expected better from young and modern minds and their approach”
He added that the aim was to create “a modern society and a modern economy with prospects for the future” and not a way to try and “weave a way into the public sector”.
“A person of 60 years of age is too young to be placed into retirement because he or she still has much to offer. In fact, in many European countries the retirement age can be anything between 65 and 70”.
