Mandatory retirement and negotiation outcomes in British Columbia universities

This study examines mandatory retirement policy in British Columbia’s universities. It draws on institutional data and elite interviews to identify the lessons that can be learned from other jurisdictions that have abolished mandatory retirement. Elite interviews are conducted with faculty association and university representatives from five institutions (UBC, SFU, UVIC, UNBC, and U of T). The purpose of the research is to examine why some universities in jurisdictions where mandatory retirement is permitted have been able to abolish mandatory retirement and others have not. The study finds that the primary barriers preventing the abolition of mandatory retirement in BC universities are faculty salary costs, pension and benefit costs, human resource planning, and performance evaluations. The results demonstrate that BC universities could facilitate agreements to abolish mandatory retirement if they did so in conjunction with phased retirement options and small changes to pension and benefit structures.