Euro-MP welcomes Tories change of heart on age discrimination

5.08.26pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 12th Oct 2004

Liberal Democrat Employment spokesperson in the European Parliament Liz Lynne MEP says she is bewildered at calls by the Conservatives for tougher age discrimination laws given they abstained when the issue was voted on in the European Parliament.

Liz Lynne MEP, was responsible for making sure that discrimination on the grounds of age was kept in the EU Employment Directive, which means from 2006 it will be illegal to discriminate against someone in the workplace on grounds of age. The British Conservative MEPs abstained on the final vote.

Responding to their call the Liberal Democrat MEP said:

"I wonder if David Willets ran his comments passed the UK Conservative MEPs who seem to be at odds with his call to end age discrimination. They abstained in a vote which thankfully was passed meaning an end to discrimination on grounds of age is on the way.

"Age discrimination has lead to many people being laid off before they are ready to retire and unable to find work. In the future, employers will have to have far better reasons for not employing people than simply their age and will not be allowed to put age limits in their advertisements.

"Indeed the European Parliament of which the current conservative party is extremely critical of has been at the forefront of introducing legislation to help older people. As well as overcoming significant reluctance to include age discrimination at work in the employment directive, we have also called for more training for older people in the employment guidelines published last year; and Parliament approved an important report on healthcare for elderly people earlier this year."

ENDS