Retirement dispute returns to court

All public servants should have the same rights, according to the Specialist Doctors’ Association.

The dispute with the finance ministry on this matter will return to court next Friday.

In 2015, the Specialist Doctors’ Association took legal action against the Ministry of Finance, arguing that it was unfair that the retirement age of all public servants was defined as 67 – except for consultant doctors, whose retirement age was 70.

According to the public servant law, the retirement age for all public servants is 70; however, in 1993 the government and the Public Service Association signed a collective bargaining agreement defining the retirement age as 67. Since then, the number of people appointed as public servants has been on a steady decline.

A key issue in this dispute is the finance ministry’s claim that this contract does not apply to consultant doctors.

A contract between the Ministry of Finance and the Specialist Doctors’ Association from 1 February 2017 states that consultant doctors are no longer appointed as public servants.

In addition to the general principle of legal equality, retirement age is also an important factor when determining early retirement payments.

Translated by prosa.fo.