About 25,000 public servants are due to retire from service by December 31 this year following the Government’s decision that public servants should retire at the age of 60.
Kurunegala District Senior Divisional Secretary R.M. Jayaratne told a meeting of Grama Niladharis of the Kurunegala district on Thursday that the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Internal Affairs and Local Government Priyantha Mayadunne had said that this would not lead to any collapse in Government service as there are enough experienced employees to cover their duties.
Jayaratne said that nearly 250 Government doctors had also applied to retire at the end of this month. Many qualified doctors are now on the waiting list to assume duties when these doctors go on retirement.
Meanwhile, 1,200 nurses are also due to retire by the end of this year since they had reached 60 years of age. About 34,000 graduates who were recruited two years ago would be trained for one year to familiarise themselves with the duties of senior public officials who will go on retirement, he said.
Most of these public servants hope to take up well-paid overseas jobs since public servants are now granted five years’ no-pay leave either to go abroad or to be employed locally, he added.