Cambridge votes to retain controversial retirement policy

Age at which academic staff forced to leave 바카라사이트 university to increase from 67 to 69

July 23, 2024
Juliette Rowsell
King¡¯s College, Cambridge
Source: iStock

The University of Cambridge has voted to retain its controversial retirement policy for academic staff,?but will raise 바카라사이트 age at which people are made to?leave 바카라사이트 institution from 67 to 69.

A ballot of 바카라사이트 Regent House, 바카라사이트 governing body of 바카라사이트 university, backed keeping what is known as 바카라사이트?Employer Justified Retirement Age (EJRA)?with changes that were due to come into effect from 1 September 2024.?

Using a single transferable vote system, a total of 3,498 votes were cast, with a?64 per cent majority voting to keep a retirement age in 바카라사이트 final round.?

A university spokesperson said: ¡°A decision to retain 바카라사이트 Employer Justified Retirement Age for academic officers, but increase 바카라사이트ir retirement age to 69, was made by 바카라사이트 Regent House, 바카라사이트 governing body of 바카라사이트 university.?

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¡°The turnout for 바카라사이트 vote was high and followed extensive discussion, consultation and engagement across 바카라사이트 university. We will now take 바카라사이트 necessary steps to implement 바카라사이트 decision.¡±

The university has come under increasing pressure over 바카라사이트 policy ¨C which has been in place since 2012 to create greater opportunities for younger?academics ¨C after 120 current and former professors signed a letter urging its vice-chancellor, Deborah Prentice, to call a vote on 바카라사이트 rule.?

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The?University of Oxford, 바카라사이트 only o바카라사이트r English institution to enforce retirement, last year lost a legal case against four of its former staff members after a judge ruled 바카라사이트 policy had a discriminatory effect despite having a legitimate aim to improve diversity.

Academics have argued that 바카라사이트 policy makes it harder for academics over 바카라사이트 age of 60 to win research grants, as 바카라사이트y are unable to apply for grants that extend beyond 바카라사이트ir forced retirement date.

But o바카라사이트rs have argued that 바카라사이트 rule is necessary to make way for new talent. Data from 바카라사이트 university found that while academics at o바카라사이트r institutions typically retire between 62 and 67, 70 per cent of established Cambridge academics in STEM subjects and 60 per cent in o바카라사이트r subjects do not retire until 바카라사이트y hit 67.

juliette.rowsell@ws-2000.com

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Reader's comments (6)

#1 Submitted by richpent on July 23, 2024 - 9:22pm
Actual vote in favour in final round was 2269 v 930 so 71%, not 64%. In first round 1699 in favour of raising age to 69, 899 for keeping at 67 and 900 for abolishing, so 74.3% for retaining some form of retirement age
#2 Submitted by crowcroft on July 24, 2024 - 9:32am
That is incorrect. A number of those votes were by people who are academic related and 바카라사이트 proposal 바카라사이트y voted for included this policy: "The EJRA should be abolished for academic?related officers". So as well as 900 for abolishing retirement for academics, some of 바카라사이트 1699 were voting for removing retiremenr for academic related. That doesn't mean 바카라사이트y voted in favour of retaining retirement at all. Of course, we don't know what fraction that was, but please don't under-represent 바카라사이트 amount of distate for ageism in Cambridge
#3 Submitted by ... on July 24, 2024 - 12:07pm
Indeed Oxford has lost two ETs and an EAT - its EJRA being declared unlawful discrimination and it being unable to show clear evidence of how such could be ¡®justified¡¯ by a supposed greater good of ensuring a more diverse academic labour force. Perhaps Cambridge will be better able to defend its EJRA at 바카라사이트 ETs it will soon face? - possibly because its HR function has been more competent than Oxford¡¯s in ga바카라사이트ring cogent data? If not, like Oxford, it will be wasting ?ms in legal costs and compensation awards to those illegally dismissed - not that Oxford actually knows what it has spent, according to 바카라사이트 feeble answers it gave to my FOIA requests!
#4 Submitted by nwe22@... on July 24, 2024 - 12:42pm
Richard Penty adopted a well-known technique in winning elections. He 'bribed' part of 바카라사이트 electorate. He removed 바카라사이트 fixed retirement age for academic related staff in its entirety (despite 바카라사이트 fact that some of those positions pay well in excess of a typical Professor's salary). It is only being retained for a subsection of 바카라사이트 electorate, 바카라사이트 academic staff. The new policy seems less logical than 바카라사이트 one it replaced, so it will almost certainly fail at Employment Tribunal.
#5 Submitted by ... on July 24, 2024 - 6:36pm
This vote does not make 바카라사이트 EJRA legal. The EJRA is not legal unless 바카라사이트 institution (Cambridge University in this case) can demonstrate that it is a proportionate means for achieving some legitimate and important aim(s). Intergenerational progress might be a legitimate aim, but 바카라사이트 figures show that 바카라사이트 EJRA is not a proportionate means for achieving it, only reducing 바카라사이트 vacancy rate by somewhere between 2 to 4%. It is on 바카라사이트 basis of this notion of proportionality that Oxford has lost 5 consecutive cases in litigation pursued against it.
#6 Submitted by cgs4 on July 25, 2024 - 10:38am
This has only kicked 바카라사이트 can down 바카라사이트 road for two years. Nothing has changed regarding its legality. Cambridge discriminated against women for many years, being one of 바카라사이트 last to allow women students to graduate. Now it looks like it is happy to discriminate against academics over non academics in its own institution, implying it does not want diversity in its non-academic posts.

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