Academics who were forced to retire at the age of 68 have won their employment tribunal against Oxford University.
Judges said the university’s policy, called the “employer justified retirement age” (EJRA), had a highly discriminatory effect, despite having a legitimate aim to improve diversity by opening up opportunities to others.
The policy removed people from their jobs because they had reached a particular age and Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews are the only universities to have such rules in place.
The claimants — Nicholas Field-Johnson, formerly the head of development for the department of continuing education; Bent Flyvbjerg, a former professor in the Saïd Business School; Philip Candelas, formerly the Rouse Ball head of mathematical physics; and Duncan Snidal, a former professor in international relations.
