Kamerade, Daige

Eurofound’s research on ‘Restructuring in recession and labour force participation’ explored the age management practices of companies in light of restructuring undergone during the recession. The study looked at policy in relation to the retention of older workers (aged 50 or more) in employment at national and establishment levels in nine European Union (EU) Member States. This is the report for Latvia.

As is the case in many other organisations operating in the transport industry in Latvia, Latvian Railway Group’s human resources (HR) strategy, policies and activities are built on the General Agreement and collective agreements. The aim of the General Agreement and collective agreements is to ensure that all employees, irrespective of their age or other demographic characteristics, have equal access to the benefits provided by these agreements. However, collective agreements offer a particular protection for those older employees who are coming close to retirement age.

There is a clearly defined age management policy in place in Proniks Ltd. Older staff are considered to be a valuable asset. In other jobs and sectors, older employees may be considered less suitable for employment for a number of reasons (e.g. lack of up-to-date skills), this is not the case in this particular sector. In the cloth manufacturing sector, older staff who have relevant qualifications and considerable professional skills and experience are highly sought after. Due to the challenges of recruiting younger employees with the necessary experience and qualifications, Proniks has adopted a proactive HR strategy that is specifically orientated towards hiring and retaining older, highly qualified and experienced individuals.