Age discrimination claims surge
Age discrimination claims have rocketed in the past year as older workers accuse bosses of selecting them unfairly for redundancy, research shows.
The number of ageism claims shot up by 164pc to 2,900 in the three months to December 2010, compared to 1,100 the year before, an analysis of the latest data show.
The figures appear to buck the trend, as the overall number of tribunal cases accepted by tribunals fell by 51pc to 39,000 in the three months to December 2010, the research by EMW law firm found.
The rise in ageism claims is down to older workers believing they had been disproportionately affected by job cuts, EMW said.
If two workers were told to reapply for their jobs during a restructure and the older employee missed out, that individual would potentially have a claim for discrimination, the firm said.
Jon Taylor, EMW’s head of employment, said: “Many workers are bringing an age discrimination claim against their employer because they feel hard done by for being made redundant.”
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