I’m calling a pensioners’ strike.
And maybe then, after the great grey strike of 2011, we can start a genuinely collaborative conversation about how the generations need to support and depend upon one another, in a humane and caring future. 

“Hang on, but pensioners don’t work, do they?” And that’s the nub of the problem. Because that pervasive attitude, that retirees don’t “work” or “add value”, and are a “burden” on the productive population – that idea needs squashing, flat. In an act of solidarity with their juniors – and a demand for a bit of bleedin’ respect – Britain’s retirees should all, just for one day, do what everyone assumes they do – sit around watching Cash in the Attic, maybe play a spot of golf, have a nap … and do absolutely nothing else. And the country would grind to a standstill.

Let’s have the strike in the school holidays, shall we? Because seniors are the largest childcare sector in the UK – providing more hours of care than nurseries, nannies or playgroups, allowing hundreds of thousands of parents to go to work. The value of retirees’ grand-childcare is estimated at £2.6bn a year. On pensioners’ strike day, the economy would stall so heavily, George Osborne could use it as an excuse for his next growth figures. Then you have the 1.5 million people over the age of 60 in the UK who currently “work” as carers for ailing spouses, siblings and children. And these days, a significant proportion of retirees are actually still managing, sourcing or providing the care for their own parents.
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The American College of Physicians’ ‘Complete Home Medical Guide’ contains a chart which categorises stress levels. This chart and the accompanying 2 page article are relevant to Fiji’s beleaguered pensioners. 

LOW:

• Change in work conditions
• Change in schools
• Small mortgage or loan
• Change in eating habits
• Christmas or other holidays

MEDIUM:

• Big mortgage
• Legal action over debt
• Trouble with in-laws
• Spouse begins or stops work
• Trouble with boss

HIGH:

• Retirement
• Serious illness of family member
• Pregnancy
• Change of job
• Death of close friend

VERY HIGH:

• Death of a spouse
• Divorce or marital separation
• Personal illness or injury
• Loss of job
• Moving house
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Article from The Daily Telegraph. London

Two thirds of adults aged under 35 expect to receive an inheritance but half of those aged over 50 are already spending the money, according to a survey of 2,000 people by Skipton Financial Services.

More than a third of the older group said leaving an inheritance would put a strain on their finances and more than a fifth said they did not expect to leave anything to anyone else when they die. That could lead to awkward scenes at the graveside – if not before – and leave many adult children bitterly disappointed.
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Here is a classic example of an organisation capable of thinking “Outside the Box” or is it “Inside the Barrel”? One thing is certain, unlike the current FNPF management and Board, this organisation is keeping its contractual commitment to its pensioners. 

(Reuters) – Drinks group Diageo (DGE.L) has agreed a plan with its pension fund which will use up to 2.5 million barrels of maturing Scotch whisky to help tackle a deficit of 862 million pounds.

The defined benefit plan was agreed after a triennial valuation of the Diageo Pension Scheme last April highlighted the deficit and triggered a requirement to agree a 10-year funding solution.
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Explicitly recognizing age as a prohibited ground for discrimination would go a long way in improving the lives of older persons around the world. With the world’s population growing older, human rights experts have called for a stronger international protection regime to ensure the rights of older persons without discrimination.
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