Medical Law
‘’Critically evaluate and analyse the extent to which the UK's legal framework offers adequate protection for the victims of age discrimination’’.
INTRODUCTION
Age discrimination in employment is a complex issue which impacts many areas of Government policy and has many implications for individuals themselves.1
Age discrimination can occur across all spectrums of employment and can affect both young and old.2 Age discrimination can affect a person’s chances of getting a job, and potentially their chances of promotion or development within the workplace.3 Age can also be a factor when employers are deciding who should be selected during a workforce downsize or redundancy of work due to a mergers and acquisitions4.
Manifestations of age discrimination can be subtle or blatant. Typical actions might include refusing to hire or promote older workers, curtailing their employee benefits, limiting their training opportunities or limiting their job responsibilities and duties.5 Older workers may be targeted in reductions of the work force; they may be encouraged to retire.6 Exit incentive programs may deny valuable additional benefits to an older worker and early retirement incentives may pressure older workers to retire prematurely.7 Incentive benefits may be reduced for people who continue working beyond “normal” retirement age. All of these actions reinforce a stereotype of older workers as the most dispensable in the workforce. Prior to 2006, a succession of government over the years have made several attempt to stamp out age discrimination in the work force across England and Wagea oo no avail.
Finally in 2000 the government adopted EU directive on equal treatment in employment which led to the introduction of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.8
The idea behind the regulations was to give effect to the EU Directive on equal treatment and employment. The regulations are not specific to older workers, which is somewhat unusual and in
INTRODUCTION
Age discrimination in employment is a complex issue which impacts many areas of Government policy and has many implications for individuals themselves.1
Age discrimination can occur across all spectrums of employment and can affect both young and old.2 Age discrimination can affect a person’s chances of getting a job, and potentially their chances of promotion or development within the workplace.3 Age can also be a factor when employers are deciding who should be selected during a workforce downsize or redundancy of work due to a mergers and acquisitions4.
Manifestations of age discrimination can be subtle or blatant. Typical actions might include refusing to hire or promote older workers, curtailing their employee benefits, limiting their training opportunities or limiting their job responsibilities and duties.5 Older workers may be targeted in reductions of the work force; they may be encouraged to retire.6 Exit incentive programs may deny valuable additional benefits to an older worker and early retirement incentives may pressure older workers to retire prematurely.7 Incentive benefits may be reduced for people who continue working beyond “normal” retirement age. All of these actions reinforce a stereotype of older workers as the most dispensable in the workforce. Prior to 2006, a succession of government over the years have made several attempt to stamp out age discrimination in the work force across England and Wagea oo no avail.
Finally in 2000 the government adopted EU directive on equal treatment in employment which led to the introduction of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.8
The idea behind the regulations was to give effect to the EU Directive on equal treatment and employment. The regulations are not specific to older workers, which is somewhat unusual and in