School escort Anne in battle to keep her job
Last updated 13:26, Thursday, 03 July 2008
HALTWHISTLE school transport escort Anne Burn is determined to “go down fighting” after she was told she would have to retire at the age of 65.
For almost a quarter of a century she has accompanied children from the Haltwhistle area to St Mary's First School in Hexham – and she doesn't see any good reason to stop now.
But to her fury, Northumberland County Council has refused her request to continue working after her 65th birthday in November.
“I thought employers couldn’t use age any more to force someone to retire – I thought there was a new law to help people like me,” she said.
“I'm fit and well and I love my job, so I still think I have something to offer.”
Under the Government’s new Equality Bill, public bodies are not allowed to discriminate on the grounds of age.
Despite that, she has also lost an appeal against the decision, even though she had the backing of her union, Unison.
Anne, of Wydon Terrace, has been making the journey to and from St Mary’s School twice a day since January 1986.
Her attachment to the school is strong, for her own four children went there.
“I'm like a granny to many of the children and I've watched many of them grow up,” she said.
“In some cases children I used to take to school have their own kids who are now going there.”
She would miss the friendship and camaraderie of staff and parents, which had helped her through a particularly difficult period when her husband, Alan (66), was ill.
The decision to retire her had come like a bolt out of the blue, because earlier this year the council had written to ask whether she would like to carry on.
“I said ‘yes’, but then I got a letter back basically saying ‘thanks, but no thanks’,” she said.
“What I can’t get over is how until the age of 65 years and 364 days, you are worth something and then the next day you are finished.”
Although she has reluctantly accepted the appeal decision, she has written to the North’s Euro MP, Fiona Hall, to register her protest – “I'm not going quietly”.
A Northumberland County Council spokes-man said it was a matter of policy that all employees retired at 65.
“We write to employees before their 65th birthday to advise them of this fact and to give them the right to request to stay in employment. We do allow all employees to request an extension and we deal with each case on its merits.
“In this case it was decided there were no exceptional circumstances to justify employment beyond the age of 65.
“We are aware of and take seriously our responsibility to ensure that employment opportunities are open to all sections of our community.”
