Retirement only after 70? For this group, the government is preparing changes

The Ministry of Justice has prepared a draft amendment to the Act on court bailiffs. The most important proposed change is the shift of the border age, after which the court bailiff must end the profession – from the current 65 years to 70 years. This project has recently been directed to the parliamentary committee of justice and human rights.

Dismissal of the bailiff

Pursuant to current regulations, the Minister of Justice is obligatory to dismiss the bailiff, who is 65 years of age. The new regulations are to change this provision, which means a return to the rules in force before 2019. Adam Bodnar, the current Minister of Justice, already appealed to such changes as a civil rights. Now, as the head of the ministry, he consistently realizes these demands.

Bodnar pointed out that court bailiffs have so far been treated less favorably than other groups of legal professions. For example, notaries can work up to 70 years old, and judges – if they meet certain conditions – can also continue working after 65 years of age, up to 70 years old. In turn, lawyers and legal advisers do not have a statutory upper age limit.

Raising age

The justification for the draft indicated that the current regulations put bailiffs in an unfavorable position relative to other representatives of legal professions. Only they must absolutely finish their professional work after the age of 65.

The amendment assumes that raising the age does not mean the obligation to work to 70. The bailiff will still be able to retire after reaching the statutory age entitling to retirement benefits. The goal is to enable people who are in good health and still want to practice.

According to Minister Bodnar, extending the possibility of bailiffs’ work can contribute to a more fully use of their experience and reduce the number of court cases related to earlier dismissal.