While political voices are increasingly calling for the retirement age to be raised further, the Chamber of Labor (AK) paints a completely different picture from practice: many older employees are disadvantaged in the labor market – in some cases even pushed out. A recent case involving a 61-year-old doorman shows how hard age discrimination can affect employees.
The 61-year-old Mr. K. worked as a porter for more than ten years. His job was important to him, but the physical strain became greater and greater over time. Eventually he had to undergo heart surgery. His doctor prescribed clear restrictions: predominantly sedentary work, a maximum of eight hours a day, no night or shift work.
Portier went to court
Hoping for understanding, Mr. K. informed his employer about the medical requirements – but instead of support, a shock followed: The employer announced the termination and justified it by saying that there would be no job for Mr. K. if he could not work longer than eight hours. After more than ten years of loyal service, the porter felt abandoned.
But Mr. K. didn’t just accept the termination. With the help of the AK Vienna, he went to court – and was proven right. He can continue to work as a porter, but now under a partial retirement plan that meets his health needs. For the AK, this is not an isolated case, but a symptom of a broader development.
AK takes action against age discrimination
Cases often end up on the table of legal representation in which older employees, despite specialist knowledge and decades of experience, come under pressure as soon as their performance is limited – for health reasons, for example.
“We constantly hear calls for people to work until they are 70, while at the same time a third of all medium-sized and large companies have no employees over 60 at all, or older employees are fired as soon as they have health problems. Without the support of the AK, many older employees would have no chance of taking action against age discrimination,” emphasizes AK chief lawyer Ludwig Dvořák.
