After reaching the necessary retirement age, an on-call fireman requested an extension of his yearly contract, and he was granted €15,000 in compensation, reports Breaking News.
Carlow County Council was found to have discriminated against Jimmy Murphy, a retained fireman, on the basis of age by declining to consider extending his contract over the age of sixty, according to the Workplace Relations Commission.
Supported by his trade union, SIPTU, Mr. Murphy had argued that the local government had violated the Employment Equality Act by imposing a mandatory retirement age that lacked a valid purpose and that the methods used to obtain it were neither suitable nor required, reports Breaking News.
The allegation of age discrimination against the plaintiff was dismissed by Carlow County Council.
Mr. Murphy informed the WRC that he began working as a retained fireman in 1994 and that, despite reaching the standard retirement age of 55, he continued to work on one-year fixed-term contracts until December 30, 2023, when he reached the statutory retirement age of 60.
Mr. Murphy stated that he had previously requested an extension of his current contract from the chief fire officer of the council, reports Breaking News.
He stated that he believed he could serve for the foreseeable future since he had passed all yearly health exams and that he was prepared to undergo another test if necessary.
He did, however, receive a copy of a 2020 circular from the chief fire officer stating that no more extensions could be given, reports Breaking News.
According to a settlement agreement that the WRC oversaw in August 2023, the trade union planned to seek a voluntary rise in the retirement age for firemen who were retained.
When the mandatory retirement age for other public service workers, such as gardaí and prison officers, was raised from 60 to 62 years old in March 2024, SIPTU pointed out that firefighters were not mentioned. This change was put into effect “with immediate effect” by a circular issued in May 2024.
The WRC was informed by a SIPTU official that no information was available on the legitimate purpose or study on the proper obligatory retirement age, reports Breaking News.
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