Help the aged

Older employees are more often than not the first to be made redundant and the last to be hired for a new job. In the world of work and business, they are routinely discriminated against. Though they can bring invaluable experience and expertise to a position, they are often cast aside if they are over 50 years of age and, in some industries/posts, over 35 years is thought of as 'too old'.

Many employers consider that employees approaching their older years either do not need further development, or that they are incapable of responding. Older employees often consider they are incapable of learning or adapting to new roles. Potential employers also perceive older staff to feel frightened of returning to a learning environment.

However, these perceptions are unfounded and can be changed if an employer goes about it properly, explaining that training is a requirement of the position.

Currently, workers close to retirement age can see their redundancy payments reduced in their 64th year and they lose the right to claim unfair dismissal at age 65 (earlier in some cases). This lack of protection of older workers has been an unfair but ongoing process in the work environment.

A change in the law to address this issue is due to take effect in October 2006. This law will ban age discrimination (young and old) and there is unlikely to be a compulsory state retirement age.

The various commissions, dealing with discrimination in all its guises, are to be brought under one umbrella in the future. And, as it will be an independent body, it will be free from government control and able to combat discrimination affecting older and younger workers. This power will extend to enforcing new laws that can punish employers for discrimination in recruitment in the future.