CBI calls for delay in retirement changes

The CBI has called on the government to delay for a year, proposed changes to the retirement age.

The Department for Business has assured employers that it will help them adapt to the changes, introduced from April next year, which will stop bosses from getting rid of staff just because they have reached the age of 65. However the CBI has insisted that there is great uncertainty over the proposals and a greater risk of an increase in unfair dismissal hearings unless the law is simplified.

John Cridland, director-general designate of the CBI, said, of the end of the default retirement age: “In the majority of cases this will not be an issue, but in a minority it will be a serious problem for all concerned. We should not stop people from working just because they have reached a particular age.” He said that because the government had not yet produced any legal guidance on the issue, businesses were susceptible to legal challenges from employees over the age of 65 who wanted to keep on working. He added that the April introduction should be delayed until potential problems were resolved.

A spokesman for the Department for Business said that the majority of employers already operated without fixed retirement ages and of those who do, many offer flexibility to work longer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11980214

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