Age Discrimination

Groundbreaking Supreme Court Judgement on Age Discrimination

age uk_logoThe Supreme Court this morning issued groundbreaking new principles on age discrimination in the workplace in its long-awaited ruling in the case of Seldon v Clarkson Wright and Jakes.

The case revolved around Leslie Seldon, a partner in a solicitors firm who was forced to retire when he reached the age of 65 in December 2006. He took his case to an employment tribunal, the Employment Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal and, after losing in all three, finally the Supreme Court.

Read more...

Closer scrutiny of figures reveals worrying trends for older people

Chris BallCommenting on labour market figures released today (Wednesday 18 April 2012) by the Office for National Statistics, Chris Ball, Chief Executive of TAEN – The Age and Employment Network, says:

“The overall fall in UK unemployment by 35,000 makes a good headline and is to be welcomed, particularly the increase in the 50+ age group finding work - up 10,000.  However, it belies some worrying trends in the older workforce which are simply not being tackled. 

Read more...

Age UK comment on signposting for older drivers

Gordon MorrisGordon Morris, Managing Director, Age UK Enterprises said:

“Signposting older customers to a specialist company does not deal with the root problem and risks reducing competition, if the customer assumes that there is no better price available and stops shopping around. Further, we have anecdotal evidence that suggests where signposting is being operated older people often don’t receive value for money or appropriate guidance. Therefore, maximum age limits for insurance should be outlawed. Any extra risk should be reflected by pricing products appropriately, rather than turning people away.

Read more...

WRU scraps 55 age limit for rugby players

Age CymruAge Cymru has welcomed a decision by the Welsh Rugby Union to scrap its upper age limit of 55 for players.

The move follows a campaign by South Wales man Stephen Clee who had been told that he would have to stop playing for his local club when he turned 55.

Read more...

Elderly continue to face highest rate of inflation

AllianceTrust logoThe latest figures from the Alliance Trust Economic Research Centre show that all households experienced a decline in their inflation rates in February. Despite this, elderly households continue to have the highest rate of inflation.

Read more...

Nicholas Parsons slams ageist humour

Tommy CooperAgeism remains the last frontier of inappropriate humour - according to Nicholas Parsons, the 88-year-old host of BBC Radio 4's Just A Minute.

The presenter - who began his career in the 1940s - has hit out against comics relying on age-related humour.

Parsons has become used to being the butt of jokes whilst hosting Just A Minute, explaining that there is not much left to make jokes about.

Read more...

Anna Ford blasts BBC

Former newsreader Anna Ford has hit out at the BBC - accusing it of "tokenism" in its efforts to combat accusations of anti-ageism.

Ford, who left the Corporation six years ago, attacked director-general Mark Thompson for not acting swiftly to hire more mature female presenters.

In an interview for Radio 4 programme, Desert Island Discs, Ford, 68, said: "I do regret the lack of older women on television, simply because it isn’t reflective of the society that we live in."

Read more...

You don't have to be young and beautiful (2)

Lesley CookmanThere is a rumour going round on the fringes of the publishing industry that, in order to be a successful first time novelist, one has to be young and beautiful. Well, don’t you believe them.

Within the last twelve months, a baker’s dozen friends of mine who had been aspiring novelists for many years made it through. And all of them are over 50. Not only that, but some are over 60!

I’m over 60, too. And in the past six years, I’ve had nine novels published in a mystery series featuring two middle aged women. The Libby Sarjeant series began in 2006 with Murder in Steeple Martin, where my heroine became reluctantly involved in a local murder.

Read more...

The Age and Employment Network – response to today’s labour market statistics

taen-final-logo“Today’s employment figures illustrate the bleak situation many older people find themselves in.The 50 and over age group accounted for a staggering 67.8 per cent of the total rise in unemployment”, says Chris Ball, Chief Executive of TAEN – The Age and Employment Network

Read more...