The Employers Forum on Age has demanded that the Government informs
employers whether it is planning to abolish mandatory retirement as part of age
discrimination legislation to be introduced in 2006.
The Department of Trade and Industry hinted that age discrimination
legislation, to be included in an EU directive on employment that becomes law
in 2006, will lead to the abolishment of the retirement age.
But the EFA wants the Government to clarify its position well before the
second stage of the consultation on the legislation, in January next year.
Sam Mercer, campaign director at the EFoA, outlined the organisation’s
position at its annual conference in London last week.
She said the confusion over the future of mandatory retirement needs to be
clarified so employers are able to constructively contribute to the
consultation period by having six months to work out the costs and
implications.
"To make the second stage of the consultation meaningful, employers
need to know what is happening with the mandatory retirement age," she
said.
