退休年齡還有必要嗎
鄭天佐
國際著名物理學家楊振寧先生從紐約州立大學石溪分校退休的酒會上，把李商隱詩句「夕陽無限好，只是近黃昏」改成「但得夕陽無限好，何需惆悵近黃昏」描繪他退休時的感觸。他是一代物理宗師，雖然美國無退休年齡限制，他身心也很健康，但決定七十五歲從該校退休到北京清華奉獻精力。即便如此，他尚且提到不會因退休而惆悵，一般退休者難免懷著無限的惆悵心情。如今他身邊多了個年輕夫人，嘴邊時時掛著幸福的微笑，生活過得充實愉快，清華學子也多了接觸大師而受益的機會。
到底人為什麼一到某年齡就得退休，而什麼退休年齡最為適當，這是一個值得大家審慎思考的問題。料想退休制度是近代規範公職人員的產物，後來私人企業和機構也逐漸仿效。公職人員基本上是鐵飯碗，除了犯罪，不管是否老邁或身心已不勝任職務，公家機關都很難請他走路。退休是最合乎情面的請他辭職的辦法，可惜心智健康者也無辜被迫跟隨，國家社會也因此白白丟棄了部分生產力。
|
|
古代人生活不易，為了討生活，活一天就得辛苦工作一天，沒有退休權利，即使子孫滿堂，也得盡心力管理大家庭。五、六十年前台灣文官五十多歲就得退休，但那時男人平均壽命不到五十，即使不想退休病魔也會先找到你。現在台灣退休年齡為六十五歲，但男人平均壽命已超過七十五歲，女的早已超過八十歲，壽命比退休年齡足足長了十多年。
筆者看到我們不少軍公教人員，五十幾歲就可領全額退休金而選擇退休，之後每年除了參加幾次旅遊團外便閒蕩在家，生活過得無聊，人生似乎缺少意義。這些人享受二、三十年優厚的退休金，消耗國家寶貴資源，成為全民沉重負擔，早齡退休制度對個人和國家社會都沒好處。
台灣人口老化問題嚴重，大家擔心有一天年輕人太少，老年人沒人照顧。台灣經濟永續發展會議對此問題提出多項共識，討論政府如何照顧老年人，卻隻字不提生產人口和稅收減少後所需龐大經費何來，也避談退休制度的改進，令人有未對症下藥之感。老年人不代表虛弱和遲鈍，有些和年輕人一樣硬朗敏銳，不只會照顧自己還有能力照顧別人。我們勉勵病弱殘障者工作，卻剝奪健康者的工作權，這不只不符合社會公義，放棄仍能生產服務社會的人才資源也很可惜。
美國早就廢除退休年齡，加拿大、澳洲、紐西蘭等國也跟上。這些國家極力排斥種族、信仰、性別、年齡等任何形式的歧視。受制於歷史傳統，世界多數國家只敢逐步鬆綁。或許出生率全球第二低，人口老化嚴重的台灣可考慮採用類似制度。政府在擔憂生產人口比率降低，還得籌款建立老人福利制度時，或可先修訂退休制度成為漸進式。年紀大者可依照年資和考績、健康情況和個人意願給予全職或部分職，薪水按工作份量和性質調整，如此即將退休者生活習慣的轉變也比較容易適應。
更重要的是這種排斥年齡歧視，「能者人人有工作，弱者人人有照顧」的具有公義和經濟效益的社會才是健康的永續社會。（作者為中央研究院物理研究所研究員）（時論廣場，
End mandatory retirement ages
By Tsong Tien-tzou 鄭天佐
When world-renowned physicist Yang Chen-ning (楊振寧) quoted Li Shangyin (李商隱) -- a famous Tang dynasty poet -- during his retirement party at New
York's Stony Brook University in 1999 at the age of 77, he changed the poem
from "The sunset is infinitely good, but alas it precedes nightfall"
(夕陽無限好，只是近黃昏) to "If
the sunset is infinitely good, why feel sad about nightfall?" (但得夕陽無限好，何須惆悵近黃昏) to express his
feelings.
Yang is a Nobel
laureate in physics. Although there was not an age limit for retirement in the
Unlike many
retirees who are at a loss after retirement, he did not feel sad. He even
married a 28-year-old woman in 2004. Today, at 84, he always puts on a happy
smile and lives a wonderful life, while the students at Tsinghua
have the chance to learn from this true master.
|
‘Perhaps a graduated pension system should be devised, so that
elderly workers can adjust their workload and nature of their work depending
on their seniority, performance, health and plans.’ |
|
|
Why should
people retire when they reach a certain age? What is the best time for
retirement? Such questions deserve to be considered.
I believe that
the retirement system was produced to regulate public servants. But the private
sector has also gradually adopted the system. Generally, public posts are
relatively stable. Unless a public servant commits a crime, he can hardly be
dismissed even if he is incompetent. Therefore, the system is the best way for
him to leave gracefully when he reaches a certain age. Unfortunately, this also
forces other capable employees to leave their posts, while the country suffers
from loss of productivity.
In ancient
times, it was difficult for people to make a living. They had to work hard
every day and retirement was not an option. Even if they had children and
grandchildren, they had to support a big family.
Fifty or 60
years ago, civil servants in
Today, the
average retirement age is about 65. But the average life expectancy of men is
exceeds 75, and that of women is more than 80, so retirement generally precedes
death by more than 10 years.
Some military
officials, civil servants, and teachers choose to retire early, because they
are eligible for "full retirement pensions" once they reach 50.
Afterward, they just idle away their time at home and live a boring life.
Perhaps they go on a package tour once a year. Such a life is really
meaningless.
As they enjoy
the pensions for 20 or 30 years, they also consume precious national resources,
becoming a heavy burden for all. Thus, the early retirement system is bad for
both individuals and the country.
The aging
population is a serious problem for this country. We all worry that if the
number of young people is low in the future, there will be insufficient
manpower to take care of our senior citizens. Several ideas about how the
government should take care of our seniors were discussed at the recent
Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development.
But nobody
talked about the huge budget for pensions as the working population and taxes
decrease, or the improvement of the retirement system. It makes me feel that
the government has failed to "suit the remedy to the illness," as the
old Chinese saying goes.
Seniors are not
necessarily weak or slow. Some are as energetic and swift as young people;they can take care of
themselves and others. As we encourage the weak and the challenged to work, we
have deprived such healthy citizens of their right to work. This does not tally
with social justice. Not to mention that it is a pity for us to abandon
productive talent that would still serve our society.
The
With the world's
second-lowest birth rate, and the rapidly aging population, perhaps
Perhaps a
graduated pension system should be devised, so that elderly workers can adjust
their workload and the nature of their work depending on their seniority,
performance, health and plans. By doing this, it may be easier for those who
are about to retire to adjust to the change.
More
importantly, such a policy would combat age discrimination, and base society on
a just and economically sustainable foundation of "able-bodied people all contributing, so that the weak can all be looked
after."
Tsong Tien-tzou is a research
fellow in the
Translated by
Eddy Chang