New age-discrimination laws round-up
Employers need to be aware of a number of issues that are still being resolved around the introduction of the new age-discrimination laws on 1 October.
As reported previously, the use of age-related criteria in relation to pension schemes continues to be permitted until 1 December, to allow schemes more time to adjust to the new rules, and to enable any amendments to be made to the specific provisions dealing with this complex area.
The date for a High Court hearing for the legal challenge by a retirement group, Heyday, has been fixed for 6 December. Heyday claims that the inclusion of mandatory retirement ages in the legislation, which could be used to force employees to retire at or after the age of 65, contravenes the European Equal Treatment Directive and are therefore illegal. If the High Court agrees, the Government would have to change the legislation to give greater rights to over-65s.
The Age Positive website has published useful information on all the implications of the new law, and provides links to further resources from the DTI and Acas, among others.
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