European Court sees early retirement bias

The European Court of Justice declared Greece’s female civil servants should not be permitted to retire at a younger age than men, angering union members.

The Brussels court said the Greek policy allowing women to retire at a younger age did not address workplace gender inequality issues.

A civil service union, ADEDY, said in a statement, the government “¦ has to answer the question of whether insurance in the civil service is social or professional, Kathimerini reported Friday.

In the court case, the Greek government argued that the women were given the right to retire younger than men to compensate for having shorter careers.

The ruling is expected to affect about 140,000 working women.

Economy and Finance Minister Yiannis Papathanassiou said the government would study the verdict and work closely with ADEDY to find a solution compatible with EU legislation but one that is just and protects the rights that woman have won.

The Athens News Agency reported that the court found provisions in the Greek civil and military code that violated European Union law.