5 Sep 2011

US Commission probes ageism in American Samoa public service

4:14 am on 5 September 2011

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission wants older public servants in American Samoa to contact them if they think they have been sidelined at work.

A lawyer with the Commission, Michael Farrell, says the agency is suing on behalf of public servants who believe they've had their employment rights violated because of age.

He says examples of adverse employment action are involuntary reassignment, forced retirement or resignation.

He says the Commission wants to get compensation for those affected.

"If that means getting them lost wages, liquidated damages, rightful place reinstatement. We want to make sure that they are compensated appropriately for having their rights violated. And the other thing we want to accomplish with the injunctive relief is to make sure that nobody else is subjected to any type of illegal age discrimination within the American Samoa government."