A recent decision of the European Court of Justice may result in the UK having to amend its sexual orientation laws in relation to pensions. Although the main points at issue in the case are already covered by legislation in the UK, the application of the Barber temporal restriction may have an impact on public sector schemes.
In Bloxham v Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer [2007] ET/2205086/06, an employment tribunal has held that changes to a law firm's pension scheme that discriminated on the grounds of age were justified.
In Allonby v Accrington & Rossendale College and others, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rules that a lecturer employed through an agency could not claim equal pay with lecturers employed directly by the college, but she could claim entitlement to join the lecturers' statutory pension scheme even though it was open only to those with a contract of employment.