AGE HAS emerged as the single biggest reason for workplace discrimination claims, ahead of gender or race, according to figures released by the Equality Authority at the beginning of an anti-ageism campaign starting today.
"Age" now accounts for over one-quarter of new case files opened by the authority under employment equality acts in response to complaints about access to employment, equal pay, harassment and working conditions. Age-related complaints also account for almost 10 per cent of complaints made under the equal status acts about access to services.
Speaking before the launch of the fifth annual "Say No to Ageism" week, the authority's chief executive Niall Crowley said that stereotypes of older people persist in Irish workplaces, despite legislation designed to protect workers from discrimination on the grounds of age.
Mr Crowley said older people were facing barriers in the workplace at the recruitment stage, when it came to promotion opportunities and when they reached retirement age.
"There are stereotypes of older workers at play here, where employers assume they are less flexible, less dynamic and less ambitious than younger workers," Mr Crowley said.
"That stereotyping limits opportunities for older people and also damages the efficiency of businesses," he said.
The authority is running an advertising campaign during anti-ageism week that will seek to draw attention to how older people are labelled by society.
Outdoor advertising posters show black-and-white images of older people with the labels "useless", "grumpy", "past it", "burden" and "washed up", while smiling pictures of younger people, shown in colour, are simply branded by their names: "Steve" and "Lisa".
Mr Crowley said one of the main problems faced by older workers was a lack of access to flexible working arrangements such as phased retirements.
"Business efficiency and performance often suffers as a result because they don't retain the skills and knowledge of their older workers."
The third problem, after stereotyping and lack of flexible working, is a failure by employers to comply with the legislation, Mr Crowley said. Age accounted for some 75 of the 404 cases of discrimination dealt with by the Equality Authority in 2006 under the Employment Equality Act.
Máire Hoctor, the Minister of State with responsibility for older people, will launch the campaign today. The "Say No to Ageism" week, which runs until May 23rd, is backed by the Equality Authority, the National Council on Ageing and Older People and the HSE. "In some ways, Ireland is ahead of other countries because we have had an Equality Act before other European states. But in practice, in the workplace, we still have a long way to go," said Mr Crowley.
Case study: 'VHI said no because Martin is over
65'
WITH A family trip looming, Dr Michelle Croghan went online
last week to book some travel insurance with the VHI for herself,
her husband Martin and their 10-year-old daughter Heather.
The family already had medical insurance with VHI so she assumed it was a simple matter of buying the "add-on" travel insurance at a cost of €95 for the family.
"Imagine my surprise when they said no, because Martin is over 65. They said they don't offer travel policies where any parent is over that age. You bet I'm irritated."
Dr Croghan felt such an approach was ageist and discriminatory - leaving aside the fact that they had been VHI members for years and have a high level of cover.
She pursued the matter with the company, who offered to treat her and her daughter as a "family" and provide individual cover for her husband. Total cost: €208, most than twice the normal family cover.
Contacted by The Irish Times, the VHI was unrepentant. Head of corporate communications Brighid Smyth said travel insurance was a risk-related product, unlike general health insurance, which was community rated (ie, the same premiums must apply regardless of age).
"I understand their frustration but it comes down to underwriting. Our figures show there is a much high incidence of claims among over-65s."
Dr Croghan says people who already have health insurance buy add-on travel insurance in case they lose baggage or suffer cancelled flights.
However, Ms Smyth said travel insurance also provides much higher levels of medical cover than apply on normal health insurance. This could be needed, for example, to cover the high cost of medical treatment in the US.
The company could apply community rating to its travel insurance
policies by spreading the cost of claims evenly among all customers
but Ms Smyth says this would discriminate against younger customers
who make fewer claims.
Paul Cullen