As claims grow, employment solicitors warn businesses against age discrimination
Employment solicitors are warning businesses to tread carefully following the high-profile case of Selina Scott and reports of a tripling in the number of age discrimination claims being made.
Age discrimination has made the headlines most recently thanks to Selina Scott’s allegations that she was refused a job at Channel 5 because she was considered too old. The case has since been settled out of court for a reported sum of £250,000.
The news comes following the release of figures from the Tribunal Service that show the number of age discrimination claims has soared from 962 in 2006 to 2,940 in 2007.
Catherine Pusey, director of The Employers Forum on Age (EFA), a network of some of Britain’s biggest employers, has said “Employers cannot afford to bury their heads in the sand hoping this issue will just go away. They really must ensure they comply with the 2006 regulations not only to avoid costly tribunals, but also to harness the business advantages of an age diverse workforce.”
“In a time of economic downturn it is crucial that employers understand the importance of age neutrality in all their decisions,” she adds.
“The number of age discrimination claims being brought in the tribunals is substantially increasing as employers often fail to realise that the legislation does not only cover retirement issues, but also affects employees at all stages of their careers,” explains Andrew Haywood of employment solicitors Dawsons LLP.
“In the present climate of wide-sweeping job cuts we are aware of many employees who feel that they have lost their jobs as a direct consequence of their age and who are now contemplating claims since they are very unlikely to find new employment in the foreseeable future,” says Haywood.
“This Selina Scott case reinforces the importance for employers of fully considering the ramifications of any decision which may be age related since damages in such cases are unlimited and can be substantial.”
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