|
04 February 2004
Mandatory retirement on the way out
Canadian
Media Guild | TNG Canada
Local 30213
Today the CBC announced that it is
planning to step back from its mandatory retirement policy.
Under the current policy — with
extremely rare exceptions — employees are required
to retire at the end of the month in which they turn 65.
Corporation leaders say that by making this move the CBC
is reflecting current trends; some provinces have already
struck down mandatory retirement provisions as discriminatory.
The CBC's decision is also based at least
partly on the fact that there are currently two major complaints
on this issue: the Canadian Media Guild
filed a grievance a number of months ago on behalf of Toronto
employee Don Nelson, and one of the Quebec unions also filed
a complaint under human rights legislation.
There are still a number of steps to go before the policy
can be rescinded completely. The plan must be approved by
the trustees of the CBC's pension plan, the Audit Committee
of the CBC's board of directors, the federal Ministry of
Canadian Heritage and, finally, the Office of the Superintendent
of Financial Institutions (OSFI), which regulates all federally
administered pension plans.
If all goes according to plan mandatory
retirement will be "retired" sometime this fall.
The Corporation has committed to study the issue of what
can be done for those employees who turn 65 between now
and the formal retraction of the policy.
(This story first appeared on the Canadian
Media Guild web site.)
|