Change In Attitude Needed To Tackle Age Discrimination

1.30.03pm GMT Thu 2nd Dec 2004

European pressure group AGE along with Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne are today launching a new report calling on member states to do more to tackle Age Discrimination in the EU.

AGE reports progress in most Countries, but the quality of the measures proposed remain patchy and are a subject of concern.

Many Member States have not worked through the technical aspects and the policy implications of key articles of the Employment Directive, and few are taking forward actions to promote awareness and cultural changes in their societies, which are essential to address age discrimination

Speaking today, the West Midlands Euro-MP Liz Lynne who helped to keep age discrimination in the Employment Directive, which means from 2006 it will be illegal in the UK to discriminate against people in the workplace on the grounds of age, said:

"Now that the EU Commission has committed itself to undertake a feasibility study to evaluate whether there is a need to extend the scope of the existing Employment directive to the level of the Race Directive, I am calling on the UK Government to do the same.

"The government have tried to claim credit for introducing legislation to outlaw age discrimination, when if it had been up to them age discrimination would not have been part of the Employment Directive. It was only due to pressure by the European Liberal Democrats and others that ensured it stayed in the Directive. Indeed, they have delayed introducing this directive into UK law for as long as possible. It was due to be implemented on 2nd December 2003 but they were granted an extension until 2006.

"Along with legislation though, we also need a change in culture and attitude, so that older people are seen as a solution rather than a problem. It is a disgrace that a third of the UK's 50-65 age group, are out of work yet we complain about a skills gap. This is not only a waste of money, costing the economy an estimated £16billion, but it is also a shocking waste of their experience."

ENDS

Notes To Editors

Liz Lynne MEP will be hosting the event in room A1H1 of the European Parliament in Brussels at 14:00 today. Photographs of the event will be available later.

She is a member of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee as well as Vice Chair of the Parliament's Age Intergroup

Liz signed up to AGE's Manifesto calling for "a European Society for all ages" earlier this year.