New age discrimination law

Workers who are aged under 18 and no longer of compulsory school age can expect to be paid no less than £3.30 per hour from 1 October 2006.
Workers aged between 18 and 21 years can expect to be paid no less than £4.45 per hour from 1 October 2006.
Workers who are aged 22 years or older, can expect to be paid no less than £5.35 per hour from 1 October 2006.

Just gone through the BBC article on the subject. Noticed this quote:

"If wages for under-21s were upped as a result, firms may be less likely to hire younger people, the BCC said. " (the BCC is apparently the 'British Chamber of Commerce')

Just ignore the fact that under-21s are probably the most flexible workers, prepared to work for the lowest amount, might actually have some initiative and drive unlike most older service sector etc workers to whom the minimum wage applies...

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I think if employers are forced to pay us under 21s the same rate as over 21s we'll basically find it even harder to find a job. The main reason we're hired is cos we're cheap labour. But if they had to pick between an 18 y.o. with no experience and a 24 y.o. who had some and had to pay us the same amount guess who they'd pick?

I think if employers are forced to pay us under 21s the same rate as over 21s we'll basically find it even harder to find a job. The main reason we're hired is cos we're cheap labour. But if they had to pick between an 18 y.o. with no experience and a 24 y.o. who had some and had to pay us the same amount guess who they'd pick?

I was watching something about this on the news, and someone was saying that it wouldn't be a great idea to give people birthday cards and things with their age on, because some could take it as discrimination and they may sue!

Just gone through the BBC article on the subject. Noticed this quote:

"If wages for under-21s were upped as a result, firms may be less likely to hire younger people, the BCC said. " (the BCC is apparently the 'British Chamber of Commerce')

Just ignore the fact that under-21s are probably the most flexible workers, prepared to work for the lowest amount, might actually have some initiative and drive unlike most older service sector etc workers to whom the minimum wage applies...

Really, in almost every job I've seen young people working in, it's always the old, miserable bastards who are stupid and idle.

F***ing absurd, who are these people working beyond 65? GET A HOBBY FFS!

The new age discrimination law comes into force today, which, unsurprisingly, makes it illegal to discriminate on grounds of age in the workplace.

Probably the same poor ****er's that have spent a lifetime in the private sector only to have their pension funds raped by Gordon Brown and who therefore need to work to eat and pay for all the civil servants that retire at 43 on a 90% index linked pension?

It's a sad day if someone with 'experience' is being paid the minimum wage. Or equally if 24 year olds are competing with 18 year olds for minimum wage jobs - in fact, I'd be inclined as an employer (if I was offering a low-waged, awful, service job) to wonder why the 24 year old hadn't made a bit more of his life by that point.

I don't agree with the minimum wage in the first place, but equally I don't believe in exemptions to what is considered discrimination. It just seems that it's constantly students who are getting completely rogered by the state on every front. It's like HMO licensing - offer some questionable benefit, and suck cash out of every orifice in return.

The law is designed to protect the rights of workers to gain and remain in employment past the official Retirement age when they become entitled to State Pension. People must be judged fit to do the work they seek to do to remain in their jobs.