Pension, 56yr and your OUT!
Once again the topic of the 56yr age limit was finally decided on by a Dutch judge. On the 25th of April a judge decided that the court case brought against the VNV (Dutch pilots union) and two of the company's by a group of pilots, was not well founded. According to his assesment there is no age discrimination and that a earlier decision by another judge to allow a F/O to continue flying beyond 56 yrs was not appropiate. He also cited that allowing pilots to fly beyond this age limit would discriminate against the younger pilots who would see their promotions set back at least 4yrs, due to this claim. He also went on to say that the 'collective labour agreement' was signed with that understanding, (i.e retirement by 56yrs).
It seems, that not only, does his assesment discriminate on the age limits, but also on the interpretation of the pilots legal right's. So alas, in the land of igual opportunity, the old (56 yr!) have to step asside for the the younger? This in a land where the official age limit is now 65yrs! So much for the LAW!