We want you to get what you’re owed and your employer to get what they deserve! If you want that as well, call us today at 1890 88 90 90
Recently the EU and Ireland as a result have recognised the new realities of modern life. People ae working longer and living longer. Older people are not just fit to shuffle off but have huge experience and productivity to offer in the workplace. A 68 year old book-keeper could have as much if not more to offer than a 25 year old doing the same job! So why treat people differently just because of their age?
Here’s how this works in practice
When our Client Katherine was dismissed from work because of her age she contacted us.
We lodged a claim with the workplace relations commission on Katherine’s behalf, we drafted comprehensive legal submissions and attended her hearing with her. We challenged her employer on her behalf. We put it up to them that what they had done was unlawful.
The adjudicator agreed with us and awarded Katherine €12,000.

“Have you been made to feel like your surplus to requirements because of your age? Have you been dismissed because you reached a certain age despite the fact that you continue to be perfectly capable of doing your job? Don’t tolerate discrimination, stand up for your rights.”

“When I was let go from work just because I was 65, I was initially embarrassed and annoyed, I didn’t know where to turn, I thought that was it and then I began to look at my options. My self confidence was bruised but I knew I had been treated badly. I contacted employment-matters and they were great. Eventually when my case was reported on in the Irish Times I knew I had done the right thing. I got compensation from my employer but that was not what this was about. I got my confidence back and am now back working full time with a better employer. I couldn’t have done that without the support of employment matters”
Katherine O’Gorman, 67, Waterford

About us

We are Employment Law specialists.
This means that when you come to us, you get advice from experts in Employment Law (and in fact Equality law), not general practitioners who may not be up to speed with the complexities of this fast-changing area of law.

LEGAL ADVICE

We can advise you as to your rights when you are reaching retirement age and how best to ensure that your employer respects your employment rights. If you are in the unfortunate position that your employer has treated you unfairly, we act for many clients in the exact same position as you. We will ensure that you get what you deserve.

Guidance & Support

We have proven success negotiating the prompt settlement of claims and we ensure your pay-out meets or exceeds equivalent compensation claims. We provide guidance and support so you understand the claims process, and we act in an open and transparent manner so you keep control of your claim.

If you are considering bringing a claim, there is a general 6 month time limit for referring complaints to the Workplace Relations Commission. Call us today on 1890 88 90 90 for hassle free advice or click here and we will respond by email within 48 hours or Complete the Enquiry form, and Get no-obligation, FREE advice on your employment rights!

Call us today on 1890 88 90 90 for hassle free advice or click here and we will respond by email within 48 hours or Complete the Enquiry form, and Get no-obligation, FREE advice on your employment rights!

what to do next

Six month time limit

You must move quickly as there is a six-month time limit on taking a claim, and no one wants to see an unlawful employer get away with one.

Call us now

Call us now on 1890 88 90 90 for a free no-obligation consultation or to arrange an appointment with us to review your case. Don’t put up with this type of treatment. Make sure your employer knows you won’t tolerate it. We’ll hold the megaphone, you make your voice heard.

Take Action

Whether you are seeking general advice regarding discrimination at work when you are expecting a child or if you are concerned that your rights may have been infringed, it is important to take action quickly.

The Law – The Boring (but Important) Stuff
Section 8 of the Employment Equality Acts outlines the prohibition on discrimination in an employment setting. The Acts provide for nine discriminatory grounds, which include, the ground of age. Section 6(1) of the Employment Equality Acts, 1998 – 2008 (the “Acts”) provides that:
…discrimination will be taken to have occurred where a person is treated less favourably than another person is, has been or would be treated in a comparable situation of the discriminatory grounds.
BURDEN OF PROOF
In general, in order for a Claimant’s allegation of discrimination to be upheld under the Acts, one must show prima facie evidence of discrimination. Once a prima facie case is established, a presumption of discrimination arises and the burden of proof shifts to the employer to prove that discrimination did not take place. The Labour Court considered this evidential burden in Southern Health Board v Mitchell [2001] E.L.R. 201 and concluded as follows:
“[T]he complainant must prove, on the balance of probabilities, the primary facts on which they rely in seeking to raise a presumption of unlawful discrimination. It is only if these primary facts are established to the satisfaction of the Court as being of sufficient significance to raise a presumption of discrimination, that the onus shifts to the respondent to prove that there was no infringement of the principle of equal treatment”.
In the case of Melbury Developments Ltd v. Valpeters EDA0917 the Labour Court held:
“Section 85A of the Act provides for the allocation of the probative burden in cases within its ambit. This requires that the Complainant must first establish facts from which discrimination may be inferred. What those facts are will vary from case to case and there is no closed category of facts which can be relied upon. All that is required is that they be of sufficient significance to raise a presumption of discrimination. However they must be established as facts on credible evidence. Mere speculation or assertions, unsupported by evidence, cannot be elevated to a factual basis upon which an inference of discrimination can be drawn. Section 85A places the burden of establishing the primary facts fairly and squarely on the Complainant and the language of this provision admits of no exceptions to that evidential rule.”
In a case, where an employee was dismissed solely as a result of his age for example where an Employer’s Company policy is for employees to retire upon reaching the age of 65 years of age the argument can be made that the Employer does not compulsorily retire anyone under the age of 65, thus the policy is discriminatory. Where no reason or consideration other than the employee’s age is considered as a reason for the dismissal, that dismissal will be discriminatory. Where a dismissal is on the basis of age, in circumstances where no other members of staff under the age of 65 were dismissed in a imilar way, that amounts to a prima facie case of less favourable treatment due to age. Thus a presumption of unlawful discrimination arises. It then falls to the Employer to rebut this presumption of unlawful discrimination by justifying any differences in treatment on some objective grounds.
Article 6(1) of the Framework Directive, Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation states:

Article 6
Justification of differences of treatment on grounds of age

  1. Notwithstanding Article 2(2), Member States may provide that differences of treatment on grounds of age shall not constitute discrimination, if, within the context of national law, they are objectively and reasonably justified by a legitimate aim, including legitimate employment policy, labour market and vocational training objectives, and if the means of achieving that aim are appropriate and necessary.

    Such differences of treatment may include, among others:

    • (a)the setting of special conditions on access to employment and vocational training, employment and occupation, including dismissal and remuneration conditions, for young people, older workers and persons with caring responsibilities in order to promote their vocational integration or ensure their protection;
    • (b)the fixing of minimum conditions of age, professional experience or seniority in service for access to employment or to certain advantages linked to employment;
    • (c)the fixing of a maximum age for recruitment which is based on the training requirements of the post in question or the need for a reasonable period of employment before retirement.
  2. Notwithstanding Article 2(2), Member States may provide that the fixing for occupational social security schemes of ages for admission or entitlement to retirement or invalidity benefits, including the fixing under those schemes of different ages for employees or groups or categories of employees, and the use, in the context of such schemes, of age criteria in actuarial calculations, does not constitute discrimination on the grounds of age, provided this does not result in discrimination on the grounds of sex.
Section 34 of the Employment Equality Act 1998, as amended by section 10 of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions Act) 2015 outlines that:

  • 4) Without prejudice to subsection (3), it shall not constitute discrimination on the age ground to fix different ages for the retirement (whether voluntarily or compulsorily) of employees or any class or description of employees if:
    • (a)it is objectively and reasonably justified by a legitimate aim, and
    • (b)the means of achieving that aim are appropriate and necessary
Notwithstanding the recent amendment introduced by section 10 of the 2015 Act, this amendment reflects the approach taken and jurisprudence developed by the Equality Tribunal over a number of years. This approach had been taken to ensure that the 1998 Act was compatible with EU law.

THE STANDARD OF PROOF

The Court of Justice of the European Union has considered the standard of proof placed on a Respondent when attempting to show that a difference in treatment is objectively justified in the pursuit of a legitimate aim. The Court in the case of R (on the application of the Incorporated Trustees of the National Council on Ageing) v Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform C-388/07 stated:

However, it is important to note that the latter provision is addressed to the Member States and imposes on them, notwithstanding their broad discretion in matters of social policy, the burden of establishing to a high standard of proof the legitimacy of the aim pursued.

The case of Furlong v. Applus Car Testing Service Ltd DEC-E2013-084, discussed above, provides authority for the proposition that an Employer must produce detailed evidence to support any assertion that a difference in treatment on the basis of age in the form of a compulsory retirement policy has a legitimate aim. Similarly, in the O’Mahony decision discussed above, the Equality Tribunal rejected the Employer’s assertion that a compulsory retirement policy was justified by the legitimate aim of health and safety where they failed to produce any actual evidence that retiring employees at the age of 65 improved health and safety. A mere assertion to that affect is insufficient to discharge the burden of proof placed on an Employer to avail of the justification for a difference in treatment and discharge the presumption of unlawful discrimination.

IMPORTANT
Remember if you are considering bringing a claim, there is a strict 6-month time limit for referring complaints to the Workplace Relations Commission.
Call us today on 1890 88 90 90 for hassle free advice or click here and we will respond by email within 48 hours.