Gardens by the Bay to raise workers’ retirement age to 65 from 2019

[能田]

                                   (Singapore Today Wednesday 25 July 2018)

   Gardens by the Bay to raise workers’ retirement age to 65 from 2019

By Faris Mokhtar

Labour chief Ng Chee Meng (in pink) called the move a “win-win situation”, as he noted that it allowed

older workers to have a job to look forward to. Jason Quah/TODAY

Updated 25 July, 2018

SINGAPORE — From January next year, Gardens by the Bay will voluntarily raise the retirement age of its workers from the mandatory age of 62 to 65, making it the latest organisation to make such a move.

Gardens by the Bay chief executive Felix Loh said that having “age-friendly and flexible” workplaces can help employers attract, as well as retain older workers and tap on their wealth of experience. He was speaking at an event on Wednesday (July 25) where the organisation signed a memorandum of understanding signifying its pledge to implement the new policy.

Advertisement

Explaining the move to raise the retirement age, Mr Loh said: “In our landscape sector, we place a premium on skills and knowledge which improves with maturity.”

Gardens by the Bay is a unionised company under the Attractions, Resorts and Entertainment Union, and it currently has 20 employees above the age of 60.

Five staff who are currently 61 will be affected by the extension of the retirement age, but their roles and benefits will remain unchanged.

Those who are above 62 are on the re-employment scheme, where under law, companies must offer re-employment to eligible workers up to the age of 67.

Gardens by the Bay said that these workers can remain in the present scheme, where their contracts are renewed annually, or opt for the new retirement age policy which guarantees employment till 65.

Labour chief Ng Chee Meng, who also attended the event, called the move a “win-win situation”, as he noted that it allowed older workers to have a job to look forward to, and enabled them to contribute to the organisation and Singapore’s economy.

“For the management here, knowing that the manpower shortages are looming, this creates a win-win situation, where they can overcome their manpower requirements with better augmentation of the working force in Singapore,” he said.

Singapore’s retirement age has remained at 62 for almost two decades, when it was raised from 60 in 1999. But companies have been encouraged to extend their retirement age past 62, with firms such as ComfortDelGro Group and the Singapore American School having done so voluntarily.

However, Mr Ng, who is the secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), pointed out that more companies should follow suit, stressing that older workers are “valuable assets”.

Mr Abdul Aziz Ismail, 61, an engineering manager at Gardens by the Bay, said that the new retirement age policy makes him “less uncertain” about the future.

“I was already somewhat preparing for retirement, but to hear this news, it’s a relief,” said Mr Abdul Aziz, who joined the firm in 2014.

“For me, working helps my mind to stay active and I enjoy working at the company. If you’re stressed, you can just go to the Flower Dome to see flowers.”