Every day I am confronted with the problem of age of my fellow mariners who are considered not suitable for 1st class employment by shipping companies after 50 years, although there is shortage of 10,000 officers in maritime industry, thus employers are relaxing the age.
When I joined the profession and even up-to seventies the captain or master of the ship was known as old man and position could only be achieved with experience. However in 70s new age syndrome was exploited by ship owners who changed their policies of human resource by employing young people, paying less on health and social security and expecting youngsters to be more energetic and productive. Young will be energetic, but there is no shortcut to experience.
I always believed "ANDRE MAUROIS" who said that growing old is a bad habit which a busy man has no time to form. Whilst researching why employers are discarding people of 50/60 years, I find it confusing when I note that even in UK the retirement age is extended up-to 68, whereas in USA you can work as long you are fit.
In Pakistan the only public sector employers retire mariners at 60 years of age, although there is no prescribed age for retirement of mariners except being fit/healthy. Indians have extended the retirement age of their seafarers.
The Romans of classical antiquity valued old age, and honoured it with the principle of SENIORES PRIORES, in which the respect due to experience gave it a front seat at the counsel of states. Even if it is true, as La Roche Focauld observed, that old men like to give good advise to console themselves for no longer being able to set bad examples. It is nevertheless useful to a society to have the fruits of experience available if required.
The Chinese take this to an extreme, in their gerontocracy that no one under seventy-five regarded as yet fit for power. They think that time induces perspective - as exemplified by Zhouenlais celebrated comment on French revolution: when asked whether he thought it had been a good thing, he said (after a pause for deliberation), it is too soon to say. The human resource scientist consider that the fashion in recent times has been for the young to hold center stage, as if they were the only important form of human being, discarding other age groups.
When we see many contrasting practices worldwide, but being short of specialised human resource professionals in Maritime world we must make best use of our retired professionals by exempting them from age barrier.
What a dichotomy, the management of our public sector employers have retired several time thus the same policy be applicable to mariners sailing onboard commercial ships. Let us set one standard for all human beings and there should be no disparity to create ill feelings.
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