The national living wage encourages employers to recruit younger workers over older workers to cut costs in breach of age discrimination laws, argued Labour MP Holly Lynch during a parliamentary debate.
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Personnel Today
A recent study suggests nearly half of employers believe that the abolition of the DRA will have a negative impact on their business, with 22% citing the biggest practical impact being a reduced capacity to take on younger staff.
A worker suffered age discrimination and was unfairly dismissed from his role in a leisure centre because his employer wanted to avoid incurring pension costs after he turned 50.
The average award for age discrimination claims has risen by nearly £20,000 since last year, bringing the average to nearly three times that in 2009/10, according to Tribunal Service statistics.
More than two-thirds of employers responding to the 2011 XpertHR retirement survey intend to allow their employees to retire whenever they wish, following the abolition of the default retirement age (DRA).
Organisations will no longer be able to give employees notice of retirement under DRA provisions and will need to objectively justify any compulsory retirement age still in place to avoid age discrimination claims.
Employment law experts have condemned the Government's handling of the abolition of the default retirement age (DRA) amid claims that the forthcoming Regulations are confusing for employers and could leave them open to claims of age discrimination.
More southern workers plan to continue working after the default retirement age (DRA) than their northern counterparts, according to a report on ageing and retirement.
More older workers are likely to find an "invisible wall" of ageism between them and a new job, resulting in greater numbers being stuck in long-term unemployment, charity Age UK has warned.
The Court of Appeal recently handed down Rolls Royce v Unite in which the legality of length of service criterion as part of a redundancy selection matrix was considered.