Tuesday
23Sep2008
REALITY CONCERN...
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at 08:10PM
I was pleased to read that the European court's top advisor on Tuesday has rejected a rights
group's claim that British retirement law, under which the over-65s can
be forced to stop working, breaks EU law.
Age Concern has challenged British law, which since 2006 has allowed employers to compel retirement after the age of 65. The rights group argues that setting an age limit is discriminatory as many people of pensionable age are still willing and able to work. On the whole, the answers that Advocate General Jan Mazak suggested to the court "support the arguments of the UK government and reject those of Age Concern," the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice said in a statement. The advocate general's opinion, though not binding, is a major blow to Age Concern as the European courts normally follow his suggestions.
I do not dispute that there are people 65 years and over capable of quality work. But that is a mute point since it should be for an EMPLOYER to decide what age an employee must retire, not an advocacy group. It is a sensible term of contract.If the law was changes to prevent employers setting a retirement age, then that is going to cause huge problems, add huge costs and generate huge friction as an ageing workforce demands to stay on.
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Reader Comments (7)
Quite. Over-65s can still work for an employer willing to employ them, but Age Concern appears to believe that an employee can force an employer to continue employing them. That would be a restraint on the freedom to contract and give the employee a gross claim on the property of the employer.
Incidentally, we're quite capable of settling these matters ourselves. We don't need foreigners arbitrating on our behalf.
Pete, you'd make a good American.
Praise indeed. But would I make a good Texan? That's a real benchmark ;)
Unfortunately I won't get the chance to find out. The US is apparently a nation of immigrants, but someone in DC has decided I'm not to be one of them.
Surely David will know who in Washington has been accessing ATW!
Noel Cunningham -
Oh it's not my activities here. My free market, free speaking, small government, self responsible, God fearing creed puts me smack bang in the middle of true, patriotic American sentiment.
Then again, that could be a problem, since DC long ago put itself above American sentiment.
Nope, all Britons are in my position. None of us have any real chance of getting in. The last time I looked, Bolivians and Somalis had a way in while Britons were effectively told to naff off.
Yes, it is a reason why I have such a low opinion of American government.
Pete,
For $500,000 you can get a permanent green card. I have heard that even $250,000 will do the trick in some States. It has something to do with their equivalent of our Developement Areas programme, The visa is an E5...
Ernest Young -
Interesting. I didn't know that my presence would be welcomed if I paid a small fortune to the government. Nothing like a principle eh, and this is nothing like a principle.
As soon as our government allows me to keep some money of my own I'll follow it up.