P ocedia - Social and Beha io al Sciences 109 ( 2014 ) 1251 – 1255
1877-0428 © 2014 The Au ho s. Published by Else ie L d.
Selec ion and pee e iew unde esponsibili y o O ganizing Commi ee o BEM 2013.
doi: 10.1016/j.sbsp o.2013.12.621
ScienceDi ec
2nd Wo ld Con e ence On Business, Economics And Managemen -WCBEM2013
The cu en endencies o he employmen o olde people in he
Eu opean Union
Má on Leó Zacca iaa*
aPhD s uden , Uni e si y o Deb ecen Facul y o Law, Kassai Ú 26./Inkubá o ház II./214., Deb ecen, 4028, Hunga y
Abs ac
2012 was he yea o he ac i e elde ly age and he solida i y be ween gene a ions in he Eu opean Union. In spi e o
i he Membe S a es ei he di ec ly o indi ec ly y o es ic he possibili ies o he employmen o olde people.
All hese aise p oblems in connec ion wi h he labou ma ke and equal oppo uni ies. The pape explo es he
egula ion and p ac ical con adic ions, which in connec ion wi h age disc imina ion cha ac e ize he law o he EU.
Old pe sons wi h conside able expe iences should ge s onge ole and i is possible only by aising he le el o
equal ea men owa ds hem.
Se
l
ec
i
o
n
a
n
d
pee
e
i
ew
u
n
de
espo
n
s
i
b
ili
y
o
P
o
.
D
.
Gü
l
sü
n A
.
B
aş
k
a
n
A ailable online a www.sciencedi ec .com
© 2014 The Au ho s. Published by Else ie L d.
Selec ion and pee e iew unde esponsibili y o O ganizing Commi ee o BEM 2013.
Keywo ds: Fi s keywo ds, second keywo ds, hi d keywo ds, o h keywo ds;
1. In oduc ion
The old – o a he olde – people’s ole and si ua ion in he socie y oday is a he dispu ed and complica ed. I
has se e al easons om among which – om he poin o iew o my opic – he ac s in connec ion wi h
employmen will be discussed mainly bu a he same ime i is clea ha he o he ac s could be sepa a ed only
ha dly om he economic-exis en ial aspec s o he ques ion. So he olde people’s social si ua ion, hei social
espec , s a e o heal h, hei espec based on public consensus, and in gene al hose ac s ha exp ess ha hese
pe sons ha e „li ed mo e”, namely, hey ha e much mo e expe ience; as a consequence o his hey ha e di e en
iew o li e and hei wo ld iew is di e en han he younge ones. Wi hin he ames o he Eu opean Union one o
he aims o he labou and social legal egula ion is o es ablish/iden i y and ul il he equi emen s o he olde
people’s labou legal p o ec ion wi h (also) ega d o hese ac s in p ac ice. Howe e , all hese a e no su icien ly
e ec i e. This s udy o mine is w i en on he accoun ha in he Eu opean Union 2012 was he Eu opean Yea o
he Ac i e Old Age and Solida i y Be ween Gene a ions.
2. Abou age disc imina ion in gene al
Wi hin he ames o employmen and occupa ion equali y one o he mos p oblema ic ields is age
disc imina ion wi hou doub , mainly because a clea p ac ise o such cases does no exis o a leas his p ac ice is
* Co esponding Au ho : Má on Leó Zacca ia. Tel.: +36 20 577 99 68
E-mail add ess: [email p o ec ed]
1252 Má on Leó Zacca ia / P ocedia - Social and Beha io al Sciences 109 ( 2014 ) 1251 – 1255
no necessa ily consis en . In connec ion wi h he con emp o equal ea men in he cases o e.g. gende
disc imina ion we „know” how he cases mus (o should) be ea ed on he basis o he di ec i e p inciples and
p ac ice bu in he cases o he old – o he young in some cases – we canno use a „key” by which he eme ged
p oblems in his subjec ma e could be sol ed uni o mly and e ec i ely.
The cause o his special ea u e can be seen as ollows: examining age disc imina ion as a concep we can di ide
i in o wo pa s since his disc imina ion may be eme ged bo h because o somebody’s young o old age. Ob iously,
in he labou ma ke o he Eu opean Union he la e g oup su e s mo e because o age disc imina ion and o
cou se, he numbe o cases on disc imina ion agains olde employees is signi ican ly highe . I we insis on he
compa ison men ioned abo e I’d like o u n a en ion o he impo an di e ences as ollows.
Acciden al gende disc imina ion also may ouch he ep esen a i es o he s onge sex, and mo e se e e such
cases o damaged igh s ha e come o ligh han cases o age disc imina ion agains young people. So pa allelism
be ween hem can be obse ed bu he ou pu is o ally di e en ega ding o he ollowing ac s. In he labou
ma ke emale and male employees a e i als in a sense and a con lic o in e es s can be obse ed. This in pa allel
e e s o and i is ue o he g oups o young and old employees and he e a e se e al ac s in his o mula because
o which he wo ypes o p oblems canno be ea ed he same way. Le ’s hink ha in a sense he young employees
should be p e e ed a he employmen , bu he same canno be said abou he male employees in gene al. Though
he e a e some simila i ies be ween he wo ields, pu e analogy canno be applied o sol ing he speci ic
disc imina ion cases.
3. Wha can he law do?
This ques ion – I eally hope – is no a poe ic one, since he only weapon in he employees’ hands is he hesau us
o legal me hods, which de end he employees’ igh s. Na u ally, i does no mean ha hese egula ions secu e
su icien ly e icien p o ec ion, bu he olde employees ha e o insis on hese minimal equi emen s. In he
ollowing I will in e p e he mos impo an pa s o he ele an Union egula ion and he ac ual ques ions o he
de eloping p ac ice.
3.1. The gua an ees es ablished in he Di ec i e 2000/78/EC
Fi s o all I’d like o men ion he di ec i e, which can be de ined as he „codex” o he p ohibi ion o age
disc imina ion, since his employmen and occupa ion di ec i e exp esses he mos impo an egula ions. The
di ec i e i sel was accep ed on 27 h No embe 2000 and acco ding o he logic o he Union an i-disc imina ion
law i does no con ain only he olde pe sons’ p o ec ion bu also he gene al ames o he equi emen o equal
ea men applied du ing he employmen in gene al. Two impo an hings can be de i ed om his. One o hem is
ha he di ec i e is a so-called ame- egula ion ( amewo k), namely, i s ules a e decla ed in gene al, and i s eal
con en – i s de ailed ules –appea s in he s uc u e o he egula ion by o he legal aspec s. On he o he hand I’d
like o u n a en ion o he de ini ely in e es ing legal solu ion acco ding o which e en i he di ec i e composes in
gene al, i also speaks abou he p ohibi ion o age disc imina ion and abou he applicable excep ions in a special
pa , namely, i ends o ul il he olds’ igh s h ough a special double sys em.
I s explana ion is no i ial: e en i he old age is one o he pe sonal ea u es, which a e de ended by he
di ec i e, i has an empha ic ole. I hink his – in a sense – s ange solu ion can be one o he easons (a leas
indi ec ly) o he ac ha in spi e o he double de ence he igh s o he old employees a e no de ended a he
necessa y measu e and way. I also mus be added ha he logic and philosophy o he egula ion a e in acco dance
wi h he employmen di ec i es o he yea 2000 wi hin he ames o which he p o ec ion o igh s in connec ion
wi h he olde gene a ion has gained an empha ic ole, and his way he p ohibi ion o age disc imina ion has
become one o he mos impo an employmen p io i ies.
The di ec i e ealizes – in a a ou able way – ha his p oblem does no only mean o indica e one wo king
g oup’s (olde gene a ion) igh s bu also means a wide p oblema ic a ea de ini ely ega ding o social ques ions. So
he s andpoin e lec s he iew acco ding o which he olde pe sons’ social employmen ein eg a ion is an o ganic
1253
Má on Leó Zacca ia / P ocedia - Social and Beha io al Sciences 109 ( 2014 ) 1251 – 1255
pa o he employmen ul illed on he basis o equal oppo uni ies, and i also has an impo an ole in shaping a
eal connec ion be ween he gene a ions, in p ese ing basic social alues, o in p ese ing he sus ainable
de elopmen o he economy.
The 2nd A icle o he di ec i e de ines he concep o disad an ageous di e en ia ion secu ing ha he p inciples
o basic egula ions (implemen al) would gain hei p ope ank. I is in e es ing o ema k ha se e al Membe
S a es de ine he concep o disc imina ion in a di e en way – e.g. he Hunga ian law – and a he same ime
acco ding o he p ac ice o he cou s o he Membe S a es and au ho i ies he concep o di ec i e mus con ain
hese minimal di e ences. We speak abou disad an ageous di e en ia ion i he equi emen o equal ea men is
damaged ega ding o he ci ed pe sonal ea u es – eligion, belie /con ic ion, disabili y, age, and sexual o ien a ion.
So he di ec i e does no de ine he exac concep o disc imina ion bu i ixes ha i means i s di ec and indi ec
o m, oo ( hey a e de ined exac ly in he di ec i e). I means ha equal ea men agains he employees is ul illed
i hey do no su e om any kind o disc imina ion du ing hei employmen .
Acco ding o his he di ec i e – apa om he p ac ice o he Membe S a es in a sense – es ablishes ha he
exis ence o he di ec disc imina ion is bound o he equi emen o compa abili y and he ad e se ea men . On he
con a y he indi ec o m o i is de ined ha an appa en ly neu al p o ision, c i e ion o p ac ice measu e leads o
such esul s agains he employees ha embodies disc imina ion. All his is o g ea impo ance because we can
expe ience bo h o hem in p ac ice in connec ion wi h disad an ageous di e en ia ion based on age.
I can be obse ed ha he di ec i e besides in ending o supply gene al p o ec ion o special g oups o
employees, he p o ec ion is sp ead o all phases and ea u es o he employmen , namely besides he whole
dynamism o he labou ela ionship he equi emen o equal ea men mus be achie ed e en be o e he
es ablishing he labou ela ionship – ypically du ing he job ad e isemen , compe i ion, job in e iew – and in a
sense his equi emen may a ec he pe iod a e he e mina ion/ o ced e mina ion o he labou ela ionship ( he
accoun be ween he pa ies, se e ance pay, ques ions o e i emen ). As a consequence o all hese he olde
employees’ legal p o ec ion mus be ul illed in a complex way.
I also mus be added ha he di ec i e doesn’ ell mo e abou he p o ec ion on he me i s. I ixes he ames
wi hin which he Membe S a es mus p o ec he employees’ igh s, and o cou se, i will be comple ed, made mo e
p ecise and widened by he case law o he Cou o Jus ice o he Eu opean Union, o be mo e exac , widened o
ein e p e ed in p ac ice.
3.2. The excep ions
The egula ion would no be pe ec i he di ec i e would no le di e si ies om he a he s ic main p inciple.
I is he basic ea u e o he equali y law, since legal di e en ia ion and ad an age making a e as impo an pa s o
he equi emen o equal ea men as he equi emen o ea ing he simila si ua ions in he same way. Howe e ,
some solici ude has eme ged in connec ion wi h he egula ion because hese quasi-excep ional easons a e no qui e
unambiguous as well as hei sys em causes many di icul ies in p ac ice. I was al eady men ioned ea lie ha he
p ohibi ion o age disc imina ion can be ound in he di ec i e independen ly bu especially we can mee hese
egula ions only in he ci cle o legal excep ions. I is ue ha he di ec i e in ends o decla e mo e p ecisely and
de ines pe ec ly he cases ha p o ec he olde employees bu a he same ime he gua an ees a e weakened and
some backdoo s seem o be le open o he Membe S a es and in some special cases o he employees, oo.
I is a gene al ule – A icle 2 Pa ag aph (2) b) i. – ha di e en ia ion is legal i he egula ion, condi ions o
p ac ice can be jus i ied by a legi ima e aim and he means o achie ing ha aim a e app op ia e and necessa y. This
excep ion is he mos ob ious one because he legal aim i sel may es ablish he legi imacy o he disc imina ion,
e en i objec i i y, he c i e ia o con o mance and necessi y a e equi ed conjunc i e. I is wo hy o ema k ha he
la e condi ions ha e come om he Cou ’s judging p ac ice in simila subjec s and is in acco dance wi h some
elemen s o gende an i-disc imina ion law. Bu we s ill ha e he p oblem because o de ine he concep o he legal
aim is nea ly impossible in spi e o he ac ha he Cou i sel ies o do i om case o case.
Pa ag aph (1) o A icle 4 also de ines he equi emen s o employmen pe missi ely since i decla es ha he
Membe S a es ha e possibili ies o decla e ha hose egula ions and measu emen s on employmen basis –
1254 Má on Leó Zacca ia / P ocedia - Social and Beha io al Sciences 109 ( 2014 ) 1251 – 1255
p ac ically scope o du ies, labou – egula ion and measu emen which o he wise a e disc imina i e can be ega ded
legal. A he same ime hese equi emen s should be eal and de ining and legal aim and equi emen mus be in he
backg ound o he disc imina ion. I is in e es ing ha his egula ion is na owe han he abo e-men ioned
excep ion because hese a ian possibili ies should o ien a e o he employmen equi emen s, namely i mus be
judged on he basis o he eal ea u es o he conce ned scope o du ies, job, and s a us.
The hi d legal egula ion place whe e he di ec i e disposes abou his ques ion is A icle 6 Pa ag aph (1) and
(2). I decla es ha di e ences o ea men on he g ounds o age, which is objec i ely and easonably jus i ied by a
legi ima e aim wi hin he ames o he na ional law, shall no cons i u e disc imina ion i he means o achie ing
ha aim a e app op ia e and necessa y. The di ec i e names such aims as examples, which ypically belong o his
ci cle, so hey may be aims o employmen policy, social policy o labou ma ke policies. I’d like o ema k ha in
mos cases bo h legal and illegal disc imina ion a e ealized along hese aims ypically. La e he di ec i e names he
ci cums ances and a ibu es which belong o his ci cle o cases, so di e ence can be made a es ablishing labou
ela ionship, in case o dismissal, o emune a ion, simila ly job may be condi ioned o a maximum age. The lis ing
p ac ically con ains all he impo an elemen s o a labou ela ionship.
I can be lea n ha he di ec i e seemingly de ini ely egula es his o m o disc imina ion, bu he employees’
legal p o ec ion seems o be incomple e a some poin s. The di ec i e i sel ixes ha he dynamism and
e ec i eness o labou ma ke and employmen in gene al equi e he de ini e legi ima ing o ce ain disc imina ion
cases, bu in my opinion he de ini ion is oo wide, ad absu dum inaccu a e. The aims which hemsel es a e legal
acco ding o he di ec i e may lead o employmen disc imina ion easily, e en i we ake in o conside a ion he
u he – ypically conjunc i e – es ic ions. I can be s a ed ha he a he libe al egula ion – wi h all i s posi i e
ea u es – is he main eason o he ac ha se e al legal dispu es a e e e ed o he Cou in Luxembou g.
4. A e hey eally equal? P ac ical p oblems
In mos cases – Mangold-case, Hö n eld -case, Eu opean Commission . Hunga y-case, e c. – he i s ques ion is
whe he he a ious ea men s o he old employees we e disc imina i e o no , namely whe he he di ec i e in i s
in ellec uali y is less a ou able o no . The Cou has wo ked ou se e al me hods o balance his and i can be
s a ed ha he me hods applied a o he ields o he equi emen o equal ea men can be used a hese cases, oo.
So he Cou examines i s how he conce ned measu es o egula ions a ec he conce ned wo ke ’s pe sonal
ci cums ances. We speak abou pe sonal ci cums ances ega ding o he /his wo king condi ions, labou condi ions,
way o labou , he execu ion o labou du ies s a ed in he labou con ac mainly, bu e en hese aspec s canno be
exclusi e. Tha is he Cou decla ed ha an in e p e a ion which would be bound only o he conce ned employee’s
wo k, scope o du ies would be oo na ow, e en i om hese i could be judged ha di e en ia ion is nega i e, i is
jus i ied o do u he examina ion. The ci cums ance how he conce ned disc imina ion a ec s he employee’s
social si ua ion, he /his epu a ion, human digni y, he /his social ci cums ances in gene al usually mus be examined.
I is ue ha hese ac s should be balanced a all o ms o disc imina ion, bu in my opinion conce ning old people
i is o high impo ance, le ’s hink o he ac ha he e mina ion o he labou con ac has close connec ion wi h
he old pe son’s en i lemen o he e i emen bene i s (i s ype and measu e).
Then he Cou examines ha in he case o exis ing disc imina ion whe he i can be jus i ied o no . A such
cases i is he mos impo an ques ion, because acco ding o he egula ions o he di ec i e i he Membe S a e can
jus i y one o he excep ions men ioned abo e an openly di e se ea men o he old pe son may be legal. The mos
di icul hing, which causes unce ain y, is ha he Cou has no go a homogeneous and e ec i e s anda d
conce ning such cases, since he Membe S a es ha e disc e iona y legal powe conce ning his ques ion.
Fu he mo e, i is solici ous ha in a g ea numbe o cases legally „clea e ” di ec disad an ageous disc imina ion
agains he employees has eme ged, bu he Cou has o examine he eme gence o he indi ec disc imina ion,
hough his es is much mo e complica ed and he esul can be eached much ha de . In he la e case i is no
unambiguous whe he making di e ence has been ul illed, since in a ce ain case a seemingly neu al egula ion,
measu emen may be he base o he employees’ disc imina ion. Taking in o conside a ion ha he g oup o old
employees – wi hou seemingly being homogeneous – is ela i ely easily de ined, he Cou ies o emphasize he
1255
Má on Leó Zacca ia / P ocedia - Social and Beha io al Sciences 109 ( 2014 ) 1251 – 1255
ac o disc imina ion and i s eal con en as exac ly as possible. The employmen o olde people is made ha de o a
signi ican ex en by he ac ha he di ec i e can be in e p e ed ha ad absu dum all disc imina ion which ha e
social o labou ma ke mo i a ion may be legal. This s a emen may be ex eme a i s sigh , bu e.g. in he
Eu opean Commission . Hunga y case he Cou decla es ha basically ha aim is legi ima e which e e ing o he
uni ied employmen o ms in end o uni y he age o e i emen e en i i causes damage o a wide ci cle o
employees in he Membe S a e. Na u ally, in he conc e e case he egula ion abou he o ced e i emen o judges,
p osecu o s, and public no a ies was illegal inally, bu in my opinion se ious con adic ions can be obse ed
be ween he legal in e p e a ion in Luxembou g and he di ec i e ci ed abo e. Namely, he di ec i e came in o
exis ence – among o he hings – o assis olde people’s employmen in such a wide ci cle as possible while he
legal in e p e a ion is o en weak and ins ead o „ aking away” om he excep ions exp essed a he wide, i seems
ha logically i insis s on he ac s exp essed in he di ec i e, since i in ends o de ine disc imina ion a he on he
basis o he o he concep s, ypically by using he es o p opo ionali y.
Finally, I’d like o ema k ha he Cou should ake in o conside a ion he undamen al human igh s mo e
de ini ely in connec ion wi h his ype o disc imina ion. On he one hand he igh o equali y and he illimi able
igh o human digni y a e he base o he social s uc u e and employmen wi hou disc imina ion, and on he o he
hand ega ding o he old employees’ legal p o ec ion one should no concen a e on employmen , economic and
social ques ions exclusi ely. Namely, he p o ec ion o undamen al human igh s is o en igno ed and i is he
eason why I hink ha he old employees’ legal si ua ion is no secu e enough and as a consequence o his hei
si ua ion a he labou ma ke is a he disad an ageous. All hese a e expe ienced in spi e o he ac ha basically
hey ha e he igh o be use ul membe s o he socie y as long as possible and comple e hemsel es du ing hei li e
in such a way ha in olde age hey should no eel ha hey a e less han he younge ones.
5. Conclusion
The p oblem o employmen and occupa ion disc imina ion is no a new phenomenon bu e e ing o he
de elopmen in he las cen u ies i canno be ega ded as a sol ed p oblem. On he con a y, as a consequence o
changing o ms o employmen , he changes in he s uc u e o he labou ma ke , de elopmen o he socie y,
economy, and cul u e and social poli ics se e al ques ions ha e come in o ligh which we e no in iew ea lie . On
he one hand i is ue ha he gained expe iences in he labou ma ke du ing he long yea s as well as he ac i sel
ha he conce ned pe son „has seen a lo ” namely, she/he is mo e expe ienced wi h o he iews ha a beginne s
wo h mo e and mo e. On he o he hand he espec o olde people is less and less and he opinions abou hei
”u ili y” in he wo ld o labou a e di e en . I is inconcei able hese days ha he employe s would make
hemsel es independen o hese ou e in luences, so i is clea ha in he Eu opean Union he age disc imina ion
does no seem o disappea bu i is e en ge ing s onge . Tha ’s exac ly why I ega d one o he mos impo an
asks o he Union legisla ion and he Cou he ac ha a e he yea 2012 we could ell as many imes as possible
ha a ce ain yea was (also) he yea o old people. I eally hope i will cause eal changes and de elopmen no
only he a ie y o aims and heo ies o be achie ed.
Re e ences
Ba na d, C. (2006). EC Employmen Law. (3 d ed.). Ox o d: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess, 398.
Be cusson, B. (2009). Eu opean Labou Law. (2nd ed.). Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 178-179.
Gyula á i, T. & Könczei, Gy. (2000). Eu ópai szociális jog. Budapes : Osi is Kiadó, 77-80.
Schiek, D. (2002). A new amewo k on Equal T ea men o Pe sons in EC law? Eu opean Law Jou nal, 2, 290-314.
Council Di ec i e 2000/78/EC. Downloaded: h p://eu -lex.eu opa.eu/RECH_na u el.do, 11/03/2013.
C-144/04 We ne Mangold Rüdige Helm, C-411/05 Palacios de la Villa Co e iel Se icios SA, C-341/08 Dominica Pe e sen
Be u ungsausschuss ü Zahnä z e ü den Bezi k Wes alen-Lippe, C-45/09 Gisela Rosenblad Oelle king GmbH, C-141/11 To s en
Hö n eld Pos en Meddelande AB, C-286/12 Eu opean Commission Hunga y . Downloaded: h p://cu ia.eu opa.eu/jcms/jcms/j_6/,
03/02/2013.