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Civil Service decision to remove retirement age is an example to other employers says the Employers Forum on Age.

3 October 2008

Following the Cabinet Office announcement this week of its plans to remove the mandatory retirement age across the civil service, Catharine Pusey, Director of The Employers Forum on Age comments, "We welcome the civil service's decision to remove the unfair and discriminatory practice of being able to insist their employees retire at 65 and hope that it helps focus the Government's mind ahead of the result of the Heyday challenge.

"The EFA has been working with a growing number of enlightened employers who have chosen not to use the default age and instead allow employees to retire when it suits both parties. Far from being a burden, this new flexibility has resulted in significant business benefits; filling skills gaps and keeping valuable members of their workforce."

As working lives get longer an important part of the work that The EFA are doing is to ensure that their members understand age legislation in all its intricacies and benefit from having an age diverse workforce. The EFA's long-term campaign is to persuade the Government to commit to remove the retirement age in 2011 - rather than merely reviewing it. This will provide clarity for employers and employees and give employers several years to prepare.

Catharine concludes, "We firmly believe that it is inevitable that employers will eventually have to follow suit and the default retirement age (DRA) will be removed altogether."

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