Age Discrimination Regulations

23 March 2006:

The long-awaited final measures to outlaw age discrimination in the workplace have been published by the Department of Trade and Industry. The regulations will provide important new rights and responsibilities for every employee and business in the UK.

The regulations will:

- ban age discrimination in terms of recruitment, promotion and training
- ban unjustified retirement ages of below 65
- remove the current age limit for unfair dismissal and redundancy rights
- allow pay and non-pay benefits to continue which depend on length of service requirements of 5 years or less

They will also introduce:

- a right for employees to request working beyond retirement age and a duty on employers to consider that request
- a new requirement for employers to give at least six months' notice to employees about their intended retirement date so that individuals can plan better for retirement, and be confident that 'retirement' is not being used as cover for unfair dismissal

The regulations include transitional provisions to ensure that employers can manage the process of retirement effectively in the first six months after the regulations come into force on 1 October.

For more information contact Business Link Wessex by phone for a copy of The Employers Forum on Age checklist to prepare for the introduction of the regulations or email them to request a copy of the ACAS guidance 'Employing Older Workers':

Tel: 08454 58 85 58

Email: [advice@businesslinkwessex.co.uk]

Website: [www.businesslinkwessex.co.uk]