How old? New guidelines on age discrimination

A PRESS release from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has grabbed my attention. As somebody who first went to sea as a cadet 50 years ago, I was very interested to see ICS has released new Guidelines for Shipowners to Avoid Age Discrimination On Board Ships. It is available free of charge on the ICS website.

Initially, I jumped to the conclusion that this would all be about the older members of the workforce. However, the ICS statement said: "Age discrimination is no joke, and can affect individuals of all ages in any field of work. The shipping industry is no different. The International Labour Organization (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) recognises this issue, but how can employers translate this into practical solutions for preventing age discrimination in real-life?"

ICS's director of employment affairs, Natalie Shaw, commented: "Age discrimination is a form of unfair treatment and the age gap between employees in the workplace can now be as much as 50 years. We are seeing a changing global workforce that is continuing to work longer, yet there are still many stereotypes associated with age that can play out on board ship. This can affect not only older employees, but also the young who can suffer from age-related stereotypes at the other end of the spectrum."