UK Age Discrimination Cases from Harassment to Commissioner to Protect Older Worker’s Rights, reported in 2024
- Age UK ordered to pay £4,000 after losing age-related harassment case – Age UK was fined for harassing an older worker during a job application process, resulting in a £4,000 compensation for injury to feelings.
- Age UK fined £4,000 for age harassment – Age UK faced a tribunal after it was found guilty of age-related harassment during its recruitment process, leading to a compensation award.
- Offering a chair to an older colleague could break equality laws – A tribunal ruled that offering a chair to an older employee could be considered discriminatory if it was based on assumptions about their age.
- Couperthwaite v Hilton Nursing Partners – The tribunal dismissed claims of age discrimination after an alleged comment “back in your day” was not proven to have been made.
- Severn Waste Worker Loses Age Discrimination Case – A worker claimed that being offered a chair was discriminatory; however, the tribunal found the offer was based on health concerns, not age.
- Former Irwin’s bakery worker receives £75k in age discrimination case – Seamus Gillespie settled his case against his former employer for £75,000 after alleging that he was made redundant due to his age.
- WEC Chair: ‘Overwhelming’ case for a Commissioner for Older People’s Rights in England – The Women and Equalities Committee called for an Older People’s Rights Commissioner to address systemic age discrimination in the UK.
- Employers’ duty to avoid liability for associative discrimination – This case highlighted the importance of employers avoiding liability for indirect or associative age discrimination.
- Mother wins £90K in sex discrimination claim after employer asks age of her children then withdraws job offer – A mother won over £90,000 after her job offer was rescinded when her employer learned the ages of her children.
- Employers overlook millions due to hiring ageism – This report discusses how employers are missing out on talent by discriminating against older candidates during recruitment processes.
- Miller v Rentokil – Reasonable Adjustments Case – This case focused on whether reasonable adjustments were made for an older employee facing challenges at work due to their age.
- Edreira v Severn Waste Services – Offering a Chair Incident – Mr. Edreira’s claim that offering him a chair was discriminatory was dismissed as the tribunal found it related to health concerns rather than his age.
- FL v R & F Properties QS (UK) Co., Ltd – Age of Children Questioned – Mrs. FL successfully sued her employer for sex discrimination after they rescinded her job offer due to concerns about her children’s ages.
- Call for Commissioner for Older People’s Rights in England – A significant push by the Women and Equalities Committee to establish a Commissioner for Older People’s Rights in England to combat workplace discrimination.
- Filipe Edreira v Severn Waste Services – Age Discrimination Allegation – Mr. Edreira’s claim of being forced out due to his age was rejected by the tribunal, which found no evidence of age-based discrimination.
- Cubbin v Age UK – Harassment Claim Upheld – Mr. Cubbin won his case against Age UK after being subjected to unwanted conduct related to his age during the recruitment process.
- Women and Equalities Committee Pushes for Older People’s Rights Commissioner – The committee emphasized the need for better protection of older workers’ rights through dedicated oversight mechanisms.
- Case Law Update: Age Discrimination Incidents in the Workplace – This update covers recent cases where employers were scrutinized for their treatment of older employees, highlighting ongoing risks of litigation.
- Parliamentary Call for Older People’s Rights Commissioner in the UK – Parliamentarians continue advocating for stronger protections against systemic age discrimination across various sectors in the UK.
- WEC Chair Advocates for Older People’s Rights Commissioner in England – The Women and Equalities Committee Chair reiterated the overwhelming need for a commissioner dedicated to safeguarding older workers’ rights.
Citations: [1] https://redmans.co.uk/insights/age-uk-fined-4000-for-age-harassment-your-rights-as-an-older-worker/ [2] https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1886926/case-law-updates-age-discrimination [3] https://rradar.com/tribunal-case-highlights-age-discrimination-issues/ [4] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/09/age-uk-charity-alexander-cubbin-design-job-discrimination/ [5] https://www.thehrdirector.com/legal-updates/legal-updates-2024/mother-wins-90k-sex-discrimination-claim-employer-asks-age-children-withdraws-job-offer/ [6] https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/news/age-uk-fined-4-000-for-age-harassment/ [7] https://www.equalityni.org/Footer-Links/News/Individuals/Age-discrimination-case-settled-for-%C2%A375,000 [8] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/12/offering-chair-to-older-colleague-could-break-equality-laws/
