As a result of legal action brought by the FBU, nearly 9,000 firefighters are set to receive government compensation of at least £3,750 for the stress and worry they suffered as a result of the 2015 pension changes.
Claimants with “additional reasons for being aggrieved” are set to receive £7,250 in total.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said that the debacle had caused: “significant uncertainty with regards to firefighters’ financial futures”, and that “we are pleased to have been able to win this for our members”.
The pay-out will go to members who filed an Employment Tribunal claim by completing an FBU survey in 2015. The survey was run for a second time in 2020. Legal action for these claimants is ongoing.
This is a significant step on the road to putting right the situation, but there is still further to go. This is a mess of the government’s making.
How the pay-outs will be processed is still being negotiated. Members should look out for circulars and emails for updates.
Any FBU members with questions about this development should contact their regional officials.
The case arose after government changes to public sector pensions in 2015 which included provisions that only protected the pensions of older firefighters.
The FBU successfully argued in court that this amounted to age discrimination. Judges ruled that the pre-2015 pension scheme (the legacy scheme) applied to the time members were in the relevant schemes between 1 April 2015 and 31 March this year.
Wrack said: “Today’s agreement on starting the process for making those payments to our members underlines the amount of distress our members have been under.
“Our members work long careers saving the lives of others and risking their own in what is often a very stressful job.
“They do not deserve to be treated like this and be caused unnecessary distress. This is a significant step on the road to putting right the situation with regard to firefighters’ pensions, but there is still further to go. This is a mess of the government’s making”.
In an all-members circular Wrack added that: “Although the offer made is a very good result for almost 9,000 FBU members, there remains a lot to be done in relation to the other claimants and potential claimants identified and detailed in this circular.”
■ All-members circular at: bit.ly/FBU-pensions-201022
