“I Hope to Muddle through until the Retirement” – the Aging Workforce in Demanding and Dangerous Jobs

The paper discusses the increase of physical and mental challenges for older workers in various exceedingly demanding and dangerous occupations, typically in police and military force, fire brigades and prisons (wardress) but also in aviation (pilots) and transport in general (bus drivers, machine-minders, traffic controllers, railway operators) as well as in heavy industry (mining) and - though it may seems strange - in performing arts (ballerinas). Slovenia, an ex-socialist country that has joined European Union in 2004 is taken as the case.

Firstly, the challenges are identified through combination of interviews, group discussions and structured questionnaires with relevant workforce representatives. Secondly, the obtained testimonies are compared among professions and between generations who underwent socialist and transitional (manly market driven) period respectively, to identify similarities and differences in challenges. Thirdly, the problem is approached from social policy point of view to demonstrate the inefficiency of the latest changes in the Slovenian pension system regarding demanding and dangerous jobs. Finally, the state of affairs is addressed in the framework of changes the society underwent in the last twenty-five years, including liberalization of economic and political system, privatisation, Europeanization and globalization, as well as the influence of global economic crisis and austerity measures, that altogether lead to redefinition of workforce position in general, to chaotic and eclectic transfer of responsibilities regarding retirement security from society, state and companies to individuals. The individualisation of risks has serious consequences for quality of work and working conditions of workers whose possibilities for decent retirement and satisfactory pensions are severely reduced.

*Testimonies and evidence were collected as a part of a research project, commissioned by consortium of Slovenian Unions Associations (Alternativa and Free Trade Unions), Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affaires and Equal Opportunities, Chamber of Commerce and Norway Grants found.