Anti-ageism laws imminent, pubs must be careful

Related tags Employment Discrimination Employment tribunal

A barman
A barman
Hosts must make sure they comply with new age discrimination laws by 1 October or face a fine of up to £25,000. The legislation covers all areas of...

Hosts must make sure they comply with new age discrimination laws by 1 October or face a fine of up to £25,000.

The legislation covers all areas of work from recruitment to training, promotion, redundancy and retirement, and is designed to protect workers of all ages.

Pubs in particular must be careful when advertising jobs. "You must avoid phrases like 'applicants should be 20-25' or 'mature person' - they are discriminatory,"​ said a spokesman for the age positive campaign.

In addition, a national retirement age of 65 will be introduced and all employees will have the right to request to work beyond that age.

Forum for Private Business chief executive Nick Goulding said: "I would encourage businesses to review their practices in advance of the October deadline or you could potentially be hit with employment tribunals and hefty fines."

Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations chief executive Tony Payne added: "Employers must also be careful of harassment of employees on the grounds of age in the workplace."

For further information visit www.agepositive.gov.uk

Your comments

Andrew Macmillan, Employment Lawyer, HBJ Gateley Wareing via email, 05/09/2006I noticed that the above article refers to hosts being liable for a fine of up to £25,000 if they breach the new age discrimination laws which are coming in on 1 October 2006.

In fact, as with other areas of discrimination law, there is no limit on the compensation that can be awarded by an Employment Tribunal where there has been a breach of the age regulations.

What is more, in cases of harassment - which may include age related banter - an Employment Tribunal can make an award against both the individual harasser as well as the actual employer.

Related topics Legislation

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