Age Discrimination Scrutiny Panel
Room 223,
Waltham Forest Town Hall

To the members of the Age Discrimination Scrutiny Panel

Last week I was sent, by way of the Community Learning and Skills Service (CLaSS) an attitudinal survey concerning age discrimination.  Until this e-mail was received, I was not aware of the lack of specific legislation making it unlawful for employers to discriminate against applicants and employees on the grounds of their age.

Since reading the survey, several points of concern arise, which include: 

1. I have not returned the survey form because I received the form by e-mail with only 4 days for completion and return.  The time given to return the survey form is far too short for many people to respond.
2. Many Council employees and certainly those who are elderly and on fractional and part time contracts, may not have the necessary level of expertise in using e-mail to enable their views to be included in the survey.  I teach this group of people most days each week.
3. The council’s conditions of service are quite specific about employees reaching retirement age.  When I reached retirement age it went by unnoticed by council, even though the assent of members’ is specifically required if employment is to continue.  Am I now lawfully employed or not? Am I entitled to my wage, however low?
4. I have heard of staff being compulsorily retired when reaching retirement age and then subsequently being taken on again, but at a lower wage. Is this fair and just?
5. There are, in CLaSS, no elderly men at a senior management level. Even though, within this group, there will be those who have considerable influence within their own communities and appropriate experience in management.
6. There are, in CLaSS, no elderly ethnic men or women at a senior management level. Even though, within this group, there will be those who have considerable influence within their own communities and appropriate experience in management.
7. There are, in CLaSS, no elderly Muslim men at a senior management level. Even though, within this group, there will be those who have considerable influence within their own communities and appropriate experience in management.
8. Does the term “age discrimination” refer only to the old or also to the young?   The issue of ICT training for younger people was highlighted some years ago at a meeting in the Lea Bridge Road Mosque, at which I together with CLaSS management and Council members were present.
   Senior management in CLaSS, at a meeting last year, highlighted the problem of the lack of inclusion of young ethnic people in education, training and skills acquisiton. I have, for example, very few, if any, young Muslim men in my ICT classes.
9. Does the term “age discrimination” refer to those employees, possibly single parents returning to work for the first time and on very low incomes, who can not afford to pay in to a pension fund.  These people will, in time, become old and retire impoverished with either little pension or no pension at all. 
   An added age related feature of this form of age discrimination is that as this group becomes older, their earnings increase and pension payments can begin.  However, the pension pay in years reduce each year, with consequent increasing inability to buy back years or to add to their pension by paying in to an AVC. 
   Does the term “age discrimination” refer to an employee who, having no pension, retires on ill health grounds, and receives no pension benefit. 
10. Is CLaSS in possession of an age discrimination policy? 
    If so, who wrote it?

The Community Learning and Skills Service has no governing body, and as such, is directly responsible to the council for all its policies, procedures and practices, and is accordingly politically driven with attendant political objectives.   This can not be right in a modern plural inclusive democratic society.

Kind regards