Not surprisingly, the High Court has referred a challenge to the Employment Equality (Age) (Regulations) 2006 to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The National Council on Ageing, who brought the case, argued that the UK Government had failed to adequately implement the EC Equal Treatment Framework Directive, by including a provision in the regulations which allow forced retirement at the age of 65 and allow employers to refuse to work over this age.
It should be noted that if the ECJ rules that the UK’s age laws do not fully implement the European Directive outlawing age discrimination, the government would be forced to amend the current legislation in order to afford the same protection to the over 65 age group.
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