While Government is seeking to make changes to allow officers in the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) to continue serving after reaching the compulsory age of retirement, one Senator has called for more protections for public and private sector workers who are nearing retirement age as well.Independent Senator Julian Hunte, who said the Defence (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was forward thinking in nature, contended that persons should not be forced to retire when they are still performing their jobs at high standards.Speaking during Wednesday’s debate in the Senate on the legislation that would allow retired officers to still serve the BDF as reserves until the age of 65, he noted that outside the armed forces, employees nearing retirement age often encounter difficulties, including getting monies owed to them.
