Denmark to do away with forced retirement
The Local Denmark - [email protected]
Published: 14 Aug, 2014 CET.
Updated: Thu 14 Aug 2014 19:12 CET
People still have a lot to offer beyond age 70 says the employment minister, who plans to change current legislation to remove the possibility of forcing employees out on their 70th birthday.
The days of showing 70-year-old employees to the door may soon be over. The employment minister, Mette Frederiksen, is planning to stop the practice of forcing retirement on employees who reach 70 years of age. Current employment legislation allows companies to dismiss employees when they turn 70, but Frederiksen said the legislation should be changed to reflect the modern workforce. “Many people have a lot to offer when they reach 70 years old, so therefore we need to challenge old dogmas about what people can and cannot do at different stages of their lives,” she told Politiken. “You should be allowed to work for as long as you want and for as long as you have the right qualifications. And that is something that rigid rules and laws should not stand in the way of,” she added. Frederiksen said the government will propose removing the possibility of writing the 70-year-old dismissal clause into contracts and collective bargaining agreements. The association for the elderly, DaneAge (Ældresagen), praised Frederiksen’s suggestion. “If the proposal is approved, then its good-bye to the outdated notion that people over 70 are generally not cut out for the job market. Many of today’s elderly have more resources and are less run-down than they were in years past,” the association’s senior consultant, Peter Halkjær, told Politiken. According to Politiken, Frederiksen’s proposal was greeted warmly by opposition parties and thus likely to pass when presented in parliament.
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The days of showing 70-year-old employees to the door may soon be over.
The employment minister, Mette Frederiksen, is planning to stop the practice of forcing retirement on employees who reach 70 years of age.
Current employment legislation allows companies to dismiss employees when they turn 70, but Frederiksen said the legislation should be changed to reflect the modern workforce.
“Many people have a lot to offer when they reach 70 years old, so therefore we need to challenge old dogmas about what people can and cannot do at different stages of their lives,” she told Politiken.
“You should be allowed to work for as long as you want and for as long as you have the right qualifications. And that is something that rigid rules and laws should not stand in the way of,” she added.
Frederiksen said the government will propose removing the possibility of writing the 70-year-old dismissal clause into contracts and collective bargaining agreements.
The association for the elderly, DaneAge (Ældresagen), praised Frederiksen’s suggestion.
“If the proposal is approved, then its good-bye to the outdated notion that people over 70 are generally not cut out for the job market. Many of today’s elderly have more resources and are less run-down than they were in years past,” the association’s senior consultant, Peter Halkjær, told Politiken.
According to Politiken, Frederiksen’s proposal was greeted warmly by opposition parties and thus likely to pass when presented in parliament.
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