‘Those on low wages can retire at 65’

A proposal to keep the state pension age at 65 for those earning less than around €35,000 before tax a year has been positively received by both trade unions and employers, according FNV union leader Jan Berghuis on Tuesday.

However, several political parties including the two main coalition partners, Christian Democrats and Labour, have dismissed the idea reports the Telegraaf.
The government has decided to increase the age for receiving the state pension (AOW) from 65 to 67 by 2025.
But following public and political pressure, the social affairs minister has agreed to make an exception for those with ‘heavy’ jobs. He has asked the unions and employers to make a list of such jobs.
But in various radio interviews on Tuesday, Berghuis said that such a list would be difficult to compile and ‘is not necessary’. Speaking on the Radio 1news he said: ‘Heavy jobs and low incomes, it comes to more or less the same’.
Using income as the criteria for allowing people to retire at 65 is a better option he said, adding that initial informal talks between the union federations FNV and CNV and employers association VNO-NCW have already taken place.
‘It is worth investigating this further,’ Niek Jan van Kesteren, director of VNO-NCW, is quoted as saying by Trouw. But he feels an annual salary of €35,000 is too high and tells the paper that €32,000, which is what most people earn, is more realistic.
However there is also criticism that some people on low incomes, such as administrative staff, do not fall into the category of people who deserve to be able to retire at 65 because they do heavy physical work.