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Heyday Judicial review being heard in High Court on Wednesday 6th December - Employers should prepare to lose right to retire
4 December 2006 The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) believes that whatever the outcome of the legal challenge to the default retirement age being heard this week in the High Court, employers should realise that their right to retire anyone over 65 cannot continue indefinitely. The EFA has been working with a growing number of employers who have chosen not to use the default age and instead allow employees to retire when it suits them. Far from being a burden, this new flexibility has resulted in less paperwork and enabled them to keep valued members of their workforce. Their experience undermines other employers' arguments for keeping mandatory retirement ages. Sam Mercer, Director of the EFA said: "The writing is on the wall for fixed retirement ages. With our ageing workforce and planned increases in the pension age, it is becoming untenable to continue with a one size fits all approach to retirement. "Arguments about manpower planning and capability are being challenged in today's workplace where employees change jobs frequently and can leave at any age. Good performance management systems mean employers can ensure that, whatever their age, people are able to do their job. This removes the need for arbitrary dismissal when an employee reaches a certain age. "Whether the Judicial Review is successful or not, the default retirement age must go. Employers are on a journey in tackling age discrimination in their organisations, and they need to know where they are heading. Government should bite the bullet, agree to remove retirement ages in 2011 and give employers five years to get their policies into shape." - End - For further information please contact: The Employers Forum on Age Sam Mercer: 207 785 6539 - sam.mercer@efa.org.uk Rachel Krys: 207 785 6556 - rachel.krys@efa.org.uk Notes to Editors Back to the press office |
