Forced Retirement Used As Cheap Alternative To Redundancy?

Two charities for the aged have accused some employers of using forced retirement under the default retirement age as a cheaper alternative to redundancy.

Charities Age Concern and Help the Aged say that the number of people aged 65-plus forced to retire increased last year to more than 100,000. The figure is four times higher than the number the charity feared would be hit when the law was introduced in 2006.

The charities conducted a survey of almost 1,000 people aged between 60 and 70 which found that one in four of those questioned said they knew a friend or colleague who had been forced to retire at or after 65.They are calling for all political parties to commit to scrapping forced retirement legislation.

Michelle Mitchell, Age Concern and Help the Aged Charity Director, said: “Our survey clearly shows the use of forced retirement has spiralled out of control, offering some employers a low-cost shortcut to shed jobs during the recession.

“The Default Retirement Age has stamped an expiry date on hundreds of thousands of older workers. It’s the most disturbing example of age discrimination which still tarnishes later life for so many people.

“Nine in ten people in their 60s have told us they oppose forced retirement. We now want all political parties to commit to tackle disrespect in later life, ranging from forced retirement and age limits on insurance, to thoughtless prejudice we find in the NHS, local government and the private sector.”