EU Courts set to rule on UK's mandatory retirement age

12.00.00am GMT Wed 4th Mar 2009

The European Court of Justice will tomorrow decide on whether allowing UK employers to retire people compulsorily at 65 breaches European law.

Liz Lynne MEP was the European Parliaments draftsperson for the Liberal and Democrat Group for the original Employment (Age) Directive 2000 which ensured that age discrimination in employment was outlawed across the EU and is now being interpreted by the court in this case.

Liz, who is the Vice - President of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee, has since supported the legal challenge, which has been supported by Age Concern and taken forward by Heyday.

Commented ahead of the ruling tomorrow Liz said:

"I sincerely hope that tomorrow's judgment by the European Court of Justice concludes that the UK is failing to properly implement the Employment (Age) Directive and that the court finally puts paid to the unfair and discriminatory practice of mandatory retirement ages.

"It has always seemed wrong to me that just because someone reaches 60 or 65 they can be thrown on the employment scrapheap.

"We must end the sudden cliff edge of retirement that forces people to stop working at a certain age whether they want to or not, whilst ensuring that individuals still remain entitled to a state pension at an agreed statutory age."