Age discrimination claims up by a third in a year
Employment Law & HR update 24/11/2011
Statistics published recently by the Tribunals Service show a
significant increase in claims for age discrimination, and with an
average compensation payout of over £30,000, age discrimination
also tops the compensation tables.
This will be of particular concern to employers, as the figures
come before the abolition of the retirement age on 1st October.
Since that date, employees who feel they have been forced to retire
have the right to claim age discrimination and this is sure to
increase claims further.
In another worrying development for employers, the average
compensation award for age discrimination trebled to £30,289
compared with the previous year – higher than the averages for
race, sex and disability discrimination, and demonstrating the huge
potential for this form of discrimination to be costly to
employers.
Other highlights from the employment tribunal statistics
include:
- Employers recovered legal costs from claimants in only 0.16%
(one sixth of one percent) of cases
- Average compensation awards in religion and belief
discrimination cases rose by 74% to £8,515
- The highest compensation awarded was for sex discrimination, at
£289,167
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