Letter: Older workers

Sir: Your report "Ministers outlaw age limits on jobs" (14 August) omitted all reference to the prospect of European legislation in this sphere.

The Amsterdam treaty contains a clause which will provide a legal basis for future EU directives prohibiting ageism.

It is quite clear that the European Commission intends to draw up draft legislation during the next two years.

Evidence from the United States is mixed, but the federal age discrimination law appears to present few problems in practice.

Companies who want to discard people with the most experience can, in fact, be expected to perform less well than those who are hoodwinked by the got-the-degree-where's-the-BMW types in their 20s. What sensible person would make a major decision on the advice of someone who has never made, and learnt from, life's humbling mistakes?

ROBIN E J CHATER

Secretary General

Federation des Employeurs Europeens

Guildford

Surrey