Firefighter claims promotion was denied because of his age

Published on Monday 4 February 2008 21:19

A 55-YEAR-OLD firefighter claims he was passed over for promotion and discriminated against because of his age, a tribunal heard yesterday.

George Smith, of Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, told an employment tribunal in Glasgow how he had been promoted from firefighter to crew manager.

Mr Smith also acted as watch manager at Johnstone Fire Station on a temporary basis. As a result his 29,000-a-year salary had increased to 30,000.

However, in November 2006 he was told he would no longer continue in this role. And when another watch manager position became vacant two days later, he was not selected, Mr Smith revealed.

In both cases, he claimed, officers aged in their late twenties were selected.

Mr Smith said he was given no opportunity to apply for the second position.

When he questioned the decision to replace him with a younger crew manager, Mr Smith said he was advised that the fire brigade benefited more by promoting someone younger who required more training.

He told the hearing: "It would be more beneficial to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue to promote the needs of (the replacement officer] rather than promote the needs of myself. I was advised that he had more training needs than me.

"I said: 'What about my training needs? Why are my training needs not being taken into account?'

"I was very unhappy about it. Because of their age and length of service in the brigade, they were going to have more training needs."

Mr Smith said he lodged a grievance. "I felt because of the length of service that I had and that I could retire, I was being pushed aside to let someone younger take my place."

Mr Smith, who became a fire-fighter in 1975, has since retired from Strathclyde Fire Brigade.

He argues that the promotion policy indirectly discriminates against older, longer-serving firefighters, because they have fewer training requirements as a result of their length of service and broader experience.

He wants the employment tribunal to award compensation because he was discriminated against contrary to the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue denies that Mr Smith was discriminated against on the grounds of his age.

The fire service says it was seeking to spread experience among officers to ensure maximum efficiency of the service to the public.

The hearing continues.