If you feel you are experiencing age-related discrimination then you should make a formal complaint using your company’s grievance procedure. You have a legal right to be accompanied by a work colleague or a trade union officialto the grievance meeting. As you will need to support your case by providing specific examples of where you feel discrimination has taken place, you should keep a record of instances, and when they occurred.
If you can’t resolve things with your employer you can make a claim to an employment tribunal. As with other employment discrimination complaints, you need to make a claim within 3 months of the act of discrimination you are complaining about.
You may submit a detailed questionnaire to your employer about their actions. If your employer fails to respond, or responds evasively, the employment tribunal may draw appropriate inferences. Once you have provided enough initial evidence of age discrimination it is up to the employer to show that they have not broken the law.
You should always seek individual legal advice before making a claim. Talk to your union, if you are a member, to get an expert opinion on your case.
