A recent marketing survey revealed that ageism is the most common form of discrimination in the work place. Of those questioned, 38% said they had been discriminated against in the workplace on the grounds of age. That statistic could translate into a flurry of claims when anti-age discrimination laws come into force in October.
The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 (click here to view the DTI, Employment Relations web page) were laid before Parliament on 9 March and will come into effect on 1 October 2006. From that date it will be unlawful to discriminate against someone on the basis of his/her age in practically all areas of the employment field. Click here for a summary of the different forms of discrimination.
Over the next weeks we will be sending out Law-Now’s on the key topics and issues arising from the new regulations. As age discrimination in UK and Europe is something that can affect people of any age (unlike in the USA), we have chosen 7 categories which highlight the most significant areas where the regulations will have an impact.
The 7 categories we will cover are:
- Young Workers
- Recruitment
- Pay & Benefits (including policies and practices)
- Promotion
- Unfair Dismissal
- Redundancy
- Pensions & Retirement
This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq
Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.
The original publication date for this article was 28/03/2006.