Civil servants who are approaching 55 or are over 55 years can breathe a sigh of relief, as the Supreme Court this morning granted a stay order on the earlier court decision that the retirement age for civil servants should be reduced from 60 to 55.
The ruling this morning means that those people who are over 55 can continue to work in the civil service although the PSC wanted them to leave to cut costs.
Supreme Court Judge Rendall Powell delivered the decision saying that the retirement age will remain at 60 until the final decision is made in the case.
Fiji Public Service Association General Secretary Rajeshwar Singh said the stay will really lift the morale of those civil servants who thought they would be going home.
Fijian Teachers Association General Secretary Maika Namudu, who was at the Court House, said while they will wait for the final decision in June, workers can still enjoy this ruling.
Fiji Island Council of Trade Union General Secretary Attar Singh said they also welcome the decision.
Meanwhile, the Fiji Public Service Association lawyer has confirmed that the stay order on the implementation of the retirement age at 55 years does not apply to the disciplined forces.
Soon after the ruling this morning, Viren Kapadia confirmed that it is up to the Public Service Commission to decide whether it wants to enforce the retirement age for those civil servants who are not members of FPSA and the Fijian Teachers Association.
The PSC is yet to comment on the matter.
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Stay Order Granted On Retirement Age