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The number of people claiming to have faced discrimination at work because of their age has more than tripled in a year, according to official statistics. Figures released by the Tribunal Service show that claims rose from 962 in 2006 to 2,940 in 2007.
The figures come just days after Selina Scott reached a settlement with Channel Five, thought to be worth £250,000, after claiming she had been the victim of ageism. The 57-year-old presenter sued the broadcaster after claiming she had been lined up to provide maternity cover for Natasha Kaplinsky on Five News but was subsequently overlooked.
The figures will reinforce the belief among solicitors that the number of age-related cases will soar over the next few years. Legislation outlawing age discrimination was introduced three years ago, and Melanie Thomas, a solicitor at discrimination law specialists Palmer Wade, said: 'It takes a while for people to understand that they have new rights.'
Other figures show that there were 1,032 age discrimination claims in tribunals between April and June, compared with 700 claims in the same period last year. In 2007, the average payout for successful age discrimination cases was £8,695, compared with £10,044 for sex discrimination and £17,308 for race claims. Meanwhile, some people have tried to exploit the laws to their own advantage. Margaret Keane, 50, applied for a series of jobs for 'recently qualified' chartered accountants and, after failing to get any, tabled compensation claims on the grounds of age discrimination.
Gillian Shaw, a solicitor at employment law specialists Ledingham Chalmers LLP, said: 'There is a financial incentive for claimants to look for an alternative to a straightforward claim of, say, unfair dismissal because age discrimination, like sex and race discrimination, does not have an upper limit on the amount of compensation that can be claimed.'
Scott argued that Channel Five had backed out of a £200,000 presenting deal because they felt she was too old, choosing Isla Traquair, 28, instead.
A string of former BBC faces - including Kate Adie and Anna Ford joined forces to accuse television of discriminating against mature women. Dame Joan Bakewell claimed the medium was dominated by the 'hideously young'.
In an interview in today's Observer, Ford claims women suffer the most. Ageism against women, she adds, is a peculiar British tradition. 'In America, there are women with white hair who are heads of banks, heads of corporations,' she said. 'Where are those women here?'
The latest government figures, released earlier this year, showed that the pay gap between men and women had widened for the first time in years. The new Equality Bill is due to be presented to Parliament this spring, and not a moment too soon, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's fifth annual Sex & Power report, which recorded a drop - for the first time - in women attaining top jobs. In 12 out of 25 job categories, it found fewer women in top posts than in 2007.
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