Wednesday, November 19, 2008
[IWS] ILO: AGE DISCRIMINATION & OLDER WORKERS: COMPARATIVE CONTEXT--LEGISLATION & THEORY
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
ILO
Conditions of Work and Employment Programme
Conditions of Work and Employment Series No. 20
Age discrimination and older workers: Theory and legislation in comparative context (2008)
by Naj Ghosheh
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/condtrav/publ/20cwe.htm
or
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/condtrav/pdf/20cws.pdf
[full-text, 67 pages]
The growth in number and proportion of older people in many countries around the world has lead to growing concerns about existing social policies and whether they are equitable to all parts of society. Pressures on retirement pension systems have been met with calls from a number of policymakers to simply raise retirement ages and extend working life. This assumes a simple extension of the status quo for older workers in the labour market, which may not be in tune reality. In order to adequately address the concerns of older workers a number of policy tools must be considered in order to address inequities in the labour market. One policy tool that has received increasing the attention of policymakers has been age discrimination legislation. Age discrimination legislation can help to not only extend working lives for older workers who are able and choose to continue work, but also to help ensure decent conditions of work and employment for those who are looking for work. This first of its kind systematically examines what age discrimination legislation exists at international, supranational, and national levels to identify what similarities and differences exist in this form of legislation in countries around the world. This examination is underpinned by a theoretical foundation which highlights the importance of age discrimination legislation as an important tool in the policy arsenal to help older workers secure and retain decent conditions of work and employment.
Contents
Page
Preface......................................................................................................................... v
1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 1
2. Ageism, age discrimination and capability theory: Theoretical foundations of age discrimination legislation.................................................................................................................. 3
Age discrimination: Its place in the pantheon of employment discrimination........................ 4
Societal need for age discrimination legislation..................................................................... 5
Important components of age discrimination legislation........................................................ 6
3. Reconsidering the obvious: Is there a nexus between mandatory retirement, pension age and age discrimination legislation?.......................................................................................................... 9
Retirement in the real world......................................................................................... 10
4. International and supranational age discrimination legislation..................................................... 13
ADL around the world............................................................................................................ 13
International standards: ILO and age discrimination.............................................................. 13
Supranational age discrimination legislation: The European Union Directive addressing older workers.......................................................................................................................... 15
5. National age discrimination legislation: International experience................................................ 17
Unlawful age discrimination................................................................................................... 17
Constitutional provisions.............................................................................................. 17
Comprehensive discrimination legislation.................................................................... 18
Specific age discrimination legislation......................................................................... 18
Human rights legislation............................................................................................... 19
Law and employment policy approach......................................................................... 20
Importance of defining "age" in law: Different approaches......................................... 21
Unlawful direct and indirect discrimination........................................................................... 23
Harassment, victimization and instructions to discriminate.................................................... 26
Harassment................................................................................................................... 26
Instructions to discriminate........................................................................................... 27
Victimization................................................................................................................ 28
Redundancy and dismissal protection in age discrimination legislation................................. 29
Scope of employer liability..................................................................................................... 30
Scope of protection................................................................................................................. 31
Working conditions and access to training............................................................................. 33
Genuine occupational qualification: The employer's provision............................................. 36
Burden of proof and remedies................................................................................................. 39
Institutions and bodies to address age discrimination legislation........................................... 42
6. Conclusions.................................................................................................................................. 45
Annex 1: Legislation........................................................................................................................ 47
Annex 2: Older Workers Recommendation, 1980 (No. 162)............................................................ 55
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
ILO
Conditions of Work and Employment Programme
Conditions of Work and Employment Series No. 20
Age discrimination and older workers: Theory and legislation in comparative context (2008)
by Naj Ghosheh
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/condtrav/publ/20cwe.htm
or
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/condtrav/pdf/20cws.pdf
[full-text, 67 pages]
The growth in number and proportion of older people in many countries around the world has lead to growing concerns about existing social policies and whether they are equitable to all parts of society. Pressures on retirement pension systems have been met with calls from a number of policymakers to simply raise retirement ages and extend working life. This assumes a simple extension of the status quo for older workers in the labour market, which may not be in tune reality. In order to adequately address the concerns of older workers a number of policy tools must be considered in order to address inequities in the labour market. One policy tool that has received increasing the attention of policymakers has been age discrimination legislation. Age discrimination legislation can help to not only extend working lives for older workers who are able and choose to continue work, but also to help ensure decent conditions of work and employment for those who are looking for work. This first of its kind systematically examines what age discrimination legislation exists at international, supranational, and national levels to identify what similarities and differences exist in this form of legislation in countries around the world. This examination is underpinned by a theoretical foundation which highlights the importance of age discrimination legislation as an important tool in the policy arsenal to help older workers secure and retain decent conditions of work and employment.
Contents
Page
Preface......................................................................................................................... v
1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 1
2. Ageism, age discrimination and capability theory: Theoretical foundations of age discrimination legislation.................................................................................................................. 3
Age discrimination: Its place in the pantheon of employment discrimination........................ 4
Societal need for age discrimination legislation..................................................................... 5
Important components of age discrimination legislation........................................................ 6
3. Reconsidering the obvious: Is there a nexus between mandatory retirement, pension age and age discrimination legislation?.......................................................................................................... 9
Retirement in the real world......................................................................................... 10
4. International and supranational age discrimination legislation..................................................... 13
ADL around the world............................................................................................................ 13
International standards: ILO and age discrimination.............................................................. 13
Supranational age discrimination legislation: The European Union Directive addressing older workers.......................................................................................................................... 15
5. National age discrimination legislation: International experience................................................ 17
Unlawful age discrimination................................................................................................... 17
Constitutional provisions.............................................................................................. 17
Comprehensive discrimination legislation.................................................................... 18
Specific age discrimination legislation......................................................................... 18
Human rights legislation............................................................................................... 19
Law and employment policy approach......................................................................... 20
Importance of defining "age" in law: Different approaches......................................... 21
Unlawful direct and indirect discrimination........................................................................... 23
Harassment, victimization and instructions to discriminate.................................................... 26
Harassment................................................................................................................... 26
Instructions to discriminate........................................................................................... 27
Victimization................................................................................................................ 28
Redundancy and dismissal protection in age discrimination legislation................................. 29
Scope of employer liability..................................................................................................... 30
Scope of protection................................................................................................................. 31
Working conditions and access to training............................................................................. 33
Genuine occupational qualification: The employer's provision............................................. 36
Burden of proof and remedies................................................................................................. 39
Institutions and bodies to address age discrimination legislation........................................... 42
6. Conclusions.................................................................................................................................. 45
Annex 1: Legislation........................................................................................................................ 47
Annex 2: Older Workers Recommendation, 1980 (No. 162)............................................................ 55
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 5:28 AM
