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Age discrimination is against the law
Monday 24 April 2006
Age discrimination law applies to every employer and employee in Great Britain. Employers Age discrimination law applies to every employer and worker in Great Britain. As an employer, you need to understand how it affects your organisation and what you need to do to meet your legal obligations. By 2020 there will be nearly 25 million people over the age of 50 in the UK. Older people have invaluable experience that employers may miss out on if they make assumptions about older peoples' ability to do a good job. Equally, younger workers may be discriminated against if employers make assumptions that they lack experience. BERR estimates that age discrimination costs British employers £750million in lost opportunities every year. Employers must show that they make decisions based on peoples' abilities and not on their age. This affects every area of employment relations, from recruitment and retirement policy to promotion and training decisions. There is certainly no room for employers to be complacent - and those who discriminate could pay a high price. The good news is that you are not alone and there are sensible steps you can take to comply with the law. Acas provides excellent advice and training, based on 30 years working with employers and employees over a wide range of employment relations issues. We would rather you got it right from the start and avoid the need to end up in a tribunal hearing. You can read our online
If you are an employee - or a potential or ex-employee, you have a legal right not to be discriminated against because of your age. It does not matter how old or young you are, or who the employer is. The law covers every workplace in Great Britain. You might be discriminated against when you apply for a job. You might be discriminated against when you are in a job - for example regarding training and promotion opportunities. You might also be discriminated against over retirement issues. Acas has 30 years experience of working with both employers and employees and we can offer you some excellent advice. You can read our online Advice leaflet - Age and the workplace: Putting the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 into practice, or order a paper copy from 08702 42 90 90.
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An independent study has revealed that Acas saves the UK economy £800 million
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