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Grey Power New Zealand Executive 50 Plus Policy
GREY POWER 50 PLUS POLICY
MISSION
To improve the living standards and working conditions for those aged 50 to 65 by
- Obtaining better rates of social welfare benefits.
- Improving educational facilities and courses to enhance opportunities for re-employment.
- Promoting this age group’s high standards of workmanship experience, proven skills and proven value to the community.
- Instituting a benefit for the maintenance of existing financial obligations when this age group is made redundant, widowed or suffers loss of employment due to poor health.
General
- In a youth-driven environment those in this age bracket are more likely to be made redundant.
- The Non- Qualified Partner (NQP) regime is an impediment to the lifestyle entitlement of the Superannuitant. Savings and investments instituted to ease retirement difficulties cannot be fully realised by the Superannuitant in this regime without penalty.
- Unemployed 50-65 year olds suffer anxiety, morbidness, lack of self-respect, and depression through lack of realistic programmes to retain mature workers.
- The widow’s benefit is totally inadequate. For someone whose work experience has been restricted to raising a family, obtaining other employment is exceptionally difficult.
Specific
- To promote adequate programmes of adult training and education that allow mature workers to re-enter employment: the programme to includeaccess to loans for part-time and short courses.
- To promote a Non Qualified Partner regime that considers the income of the partner alone as the criteria for abatement purposes. Family income should not be the criteria for abatement of the benefit paid to the spouse.
- To promote the concept that employers meet the costs of the unemployment benefit for the first twelve months of an employee’s redundancy. Employers, except in the case of bankruptcy, should not be able to make employees redundant at will.
- To promote review of the $80 per week additional income ceiling and 70% penalty rebate on extra income for its inadequacy for supplying sufficient support to the 50-65 age group in the Non Qualified Partner category.
- To promote review of the allocation for widows and beneficiaries. Living alone allowances, accommodation allowances and medical benefits are insufficient for this group which is subject to more chronic forms of sickness, morbidness, depression, loneliness and unemployability.
50 Plus Committee
Grey Power New Zealand Federation
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