Labour Court recommends expert review of retained firefighters’ retirement age

The Labour Court recommended that Local Authorities, the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union and the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union establish an expert working group to review the retirement age for retained firefighters. The recommendation was signed on 12 August 2002. The unions sought to raise the retirement age from 55 to 60 and increase the retirement gratuity. The Court said the need for a blanket age limit of 55 should be objectively assessed with expert assistance. It recommended that the group report within 12 months and that the parties agree to a uniform three-month extension for training new personnel in the interim. The Court deferred further consideration of the gratuity claim until the working group reported.