The Echidna: Don't be conned, work isn't worth dying for

He rode his bicycle to that glass factory every working day for almost 50 years. Trousers clipped so they wouldn't get caught in that greasy chain. A cut lunch in a Gladstone bag strapped to the rear. Fingers numbed by winter hail, shirt soaked in summer heat. When his shift ended he pointed that bike home and pedalled even faster to put the drudgery behind him. Retirement couldn't come quickly enough.

It finally arrived when he turned 62. An early severance package gave my grandfather money for the first time in his life. He and my grandmother couldn't believe their luck. Left their small Housing Commission home and bought a place of their own. A palace, actually. Brick veneer. Three bedrooms. And what about that garage! How would he fill it? He'd never driven in his life.

There was talk of other fancy stuff like travel. He'd never been outside his state. More time to garden, too. Fish with the grandkids. And he would end each day the way he liked; a hot cup of tea, a crossword on his lap, a corny British comedy on the telly, smiling contentedly knowing that damn bicycle was gathering cobwebs in the garage.

He was dead three months later.

An undetected cancer in his lungs suddenly turned ravenous. It gnawed through his bones and organs and turned his body to a husk. Fifty years on that factory floor. Countless miles pedalling that bike. Thank you, old fella. Life's final reward: one last act of bastardry.

I was barely a teenager when we buried Pop in a coffin far too light for a grown man. Bawled my eyes out for days. They're bloody wet again as I write this. The injustice of it still burns. Slogged his guts out on a factory floor for a living, only to be denied the experience of really living.

Maybe that's why I sympathised with those million-plus striking French workers last week, protesting against their government's plan to raise the pension age to 64, an increase of two years. By Australian standards the French have it easy - our pension age will rise to 67 this year for those born after 1957. It may need to hit 70 in the near future.

Pension eligibility ages are rising around the world - people are living longer, fertility rates are declining. Governments need more of us working longer to maintain the tax base. Still, it's understandable why many French workers resent their retirement being pushed further from their grasp.

Not everyone enjoys comfortable white-collar working lives watching their superannuation match the growth of their backsides. How many bricklayers do you see still working into their 60s, their stooped, broken bodies bent into human question marks?

It might be unfashionable to admit in a world where we are urged to work harder for longer. It's better for you! Stops your brain turning to mush! But many Australians actually want what my Pop desired. They believe there is nothing wrong with going gently into that good night, nothing wrong with retreating from the rat race and no longer obeying that alarm clock.

"Work gives you meaning and purpose," physicist Stephen Hawking said. "Life is empty without it." Really? Not if work is a black hole to start with.

Current programs to "retrain" and "upskill" older workers are a joke. Yes, 40 per cent of close to half a million workers who entered the Australian labour market in the past three years were over 55. But that number - hailed as a stunning reversal of long-term trends - was more indicative of shrinking super funds and businesses hungry for staff after the pandemic.

The truth? Australia's disdain for older workers is stronger than ever thanks to a national culture that actively disrespects its elders. The inhumane state of our aged care sector is a testament to that.

Research by the Australian HR Institute and the Human Rights Commission has found almost half of Australian businesses are reluctant to hire older workers. Almost 20 per cent of businesses classify "older workers" as being aged 51-54.

Ageism is rampant. Mentoring a myth. Company leaders preen and pose as "equal opportunity" employers, loudly proclaiming the "inclusiveness" of their workplace culture. Hypocrites. They're nothing but paid-up subscribers to the "younger people are just smarter" mantra of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Yes, that twat actually said it.

So enough with this falsehood about older workers "reinventing" themselves. Many just want the retirement my grandfather deserved but never had.

They shouldn't have to apologise for it. Or be forced to wait until it's too late.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you retired but been forced to return to work for financial reasons? Have you kept working because you fear retirement? Or are you counting down the days when you leave your job for good? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has used his Australia Day speech in Canberra to send a message of hope to the nation's youngest new citizens. "I want you to know that you are now becoming citizens of a country where no matter where you live, or who you worship, no matter who you love or what your last name is, you can write your own future," Mr Albanese told the annual flag raising and citizenship ceremony on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin.

- Large parts of Australia will experience above-average temperatures until April, the latest climate outlook indicates. With La Nina weakening and a return of El Nino as early as June, weather patterns are changing. In some parts of Australia, there's a more than 80 per cent chance maximum temperatures will be warmer than the median, including for large parts of Western Australia and South Australia, the Queensland coast, Tasmania and northern parts of the Northern Territory.

- NSW researchers are about to launch the nation's first farm crime survey in about 20 years. University of New England, Armidale, NSW, criminology senior lecturer Kyle Mulrooney said the survey was planned due to limited knowledge about the true state of crime nationally.

THEY SAID IT: "Working people have a lot of bad habits, but the worst of these is work." - Clarence Darrow

YOU SAID IT: Honouring the unsung, everyday people who make a big difference. And what makes us uniquely Australian.

Heather says: "I would award top honours to all the Sikh volunteers."

Maggie doesn't think we are "uniquely" Australian: "I hope that we are caring, generous, and all that, but I believe that many other people are also kind, thoughtful and giving. But what I don't like about Australia Day honours is that the top awards go to people who have had successful careers, and are being rewarded for doing that well. The lesser awards go to the hundreds of people who have given years of their lives to helping others in regular, consistent ways, usually with little material reward. They are the ones who should be held highest and celebrated."

Richard has his own nomination: "My nomination is Rose from the Springwood Community Garden. The garden was set up as part of the healing after the 2013 fires in the Blue Mountains. Rose was there from the start, where a bare paddock was turned into a beautiful garden - a place where people could find peace during COVID. Rose is there most days organising volunteers working in the garden. She is a great lady."

Mike says: "My local heroes are the selfless surf life savers who tirelessly volunteer their time to patrol our beautiful but dangerous beaches. I see it day in and day out - people being saved by these very diligent and caring volunteers. My second local hero is my wife of nearly 48 years. She has been a registered nurse for 50 years, saving countless lives and bettering the quality of life for numerous patients. She is well known as a kind and caring mentor to those who choose to learn from her vast experience. She is one of earth's angels and for this I am always deeply in awe. I read the Echidna every day. Thank goodness there is at least one media forum that is unashamedly truthful in its editorial comments. Go you good thing."