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President's
Message
I was recently invited by the Equality and Human Rights Commission [EHRC] to the Tate Modern in London for the launch of Working Better: The over 50s – the new work generation. Alex Thomson, chief correspondent and main presenter of Channel 4 News, chaired the launch; the speakers included Baroness Margaret Prosser, Deputy Chair of EHRC; Angela Eagle MP, Minister of State for Pensions and the Ageing Society; David Frost, Director General, British Chambers of Commerce and Stuart Fell, Chair, West Bromwich Tool and Engineering Company. It was an excellent informative meeting, with plenty of opportunity for discussion and questions from the floor.
Working Better, is a set of proposals for fundamental changes to employment policies, which would open up more work opportunities for older Britons and address the challenges of an ageing workforce. The proposals include abolishing the default retirement age, the extension of the right to request flexible working hours, overhauling employer recruitment practices to prevent discrimination and improved training and development. The project is aimed at setting a new agenda to meet the changing needs of workers, families, and employers in the 21st century and to find solutions that will increase choice, fairness and equality.
The commission’s policy could benefit the economy too. Research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, shows that extending working lives by 18 months would inject £15 billion into the British economy. In addition keeping older people healthy and in the workforce, would decrease welfare costs and increase spending power.
Baroness Prosser said, ‘Britain has experienced a skills exodus during the recession and as the economy recovers we face a very real threat of not having enough workers.’ and ‘ This is about developing a way of working that is based on the demographics of today’s populations and moving away from systems established when people died not long after reaching state pension age and women were supported by their husbands,
In the commission’s survey of the over Fifties, 59% per cent of men and 62% per cent of women, want to continue working beyond state pension age. Many older Briton’s do not want to slow down, they want job promotions!
Should they have that choice? The debate continues - what do you think?
Sheila Eaton
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