JURIST - Paper Chase: British appeals court upholds different rights for older workers

The UK Court of Appeal has upheld British legislation that says workers over age 65 have no right to claim compensation for unfair dismissal or redundancy payments if they lose their jobs. Two workers in their 70s won a landmark victory from a British employment tribunal in 2001, where they argued that the age limit violated sex discrimination laws because the limit affected more men than women. However, the appeals court said the employment tribunal erred in focusing only on people over age 65 in deciding whether the age limit adversely affected men. Read the court's opinion and the UK Employment Rights Act 1996. The Guardian has more. Age Concern has background on the case.