Campaigners have called on the government to use the forthcoming Equality Bill to scrap the default retirement age (DRA) to prevent ongoing discrimination against older workers.
The call follows a Channel 4 documentary Too Old To Work, broadcast last week, which highlighted incidences of age discrimination from employers and recruitment agencies.
Chris Ball, chief executive of The Age and Employment Network, said the DRA, which allows employers to lawfully dismiss employees on the basis of their age once they reach 65, must be ditched.
“The government has undermined its own [age] legislation, reinforced age prejudice and condemned too many people aged 65 plus to a more impoverished old age. It must use the forthcoming Equality Bill to correct this injustice, which it has itself inflicted.”
The Equality Bill is still in draft form, but is expected to be laid before Parliament in the coming months.
Personnel Today is supporting a campaign to force the government to scrap the DRA in 2011, rather than merely reviewing it. You can register your support for our campaign by signing the petition on the Number 10 website.
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