An answer given by the Westminster Fire Minister, Brandon Lewis, over the issue of protection of firefighters’ pensions from proposed government changes was inaccurate, the Fire Brigades Union has claimed.
On Monday 7 April, the minister responded to a question by Labour MP for Plymouth, Alison Seabeck, by saying that the FBU did not “go down the road” of seeking to obtain protection from changes for members during negotiations as had been provided for the police.
In her question, which resulted from a visit to Crownhill fire station and other FBU branches in her constituency, Seabeck pointed out that one 39-year-old firefighter who had served since he was 18 would have to work for 42 years rather than 30 as a result of the government’s changes
In his reply, the minister said: “My understanding is that, at the time that arrangement was made with the police, the Fire Brigades Union did not go down that road.
“More firefighters are protected by the scheme we have put in place than any other scheme in the public sector, and conversations with the FBU remain ongoing.”
In a recent letter to members, Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “This answer is inaccurate and presents a complete misrepresentation of discussions we have had with DCLG and with the minister and his team over many months.
“The issue of protection has been raised regularly at all such meetings.
“Despite this Brandon Lewis and his team have been very firm in expressing their opposition to any such improvements in relation to transitional protection.”
In response to the exchange, the FBU wrote to the minister saying that it had consistently argued that both protection and for improvements to address the needs of firefighters were required because expecting them to work until 60 was unworkable.
However, in his reply the minister would not acknowledge the need to extend protection.
The first point of eight within the FBU’s current trade dispute, which was registered in May 2013, reads: “ Protection arrangements which are a substantial improvement on the Proposed Final Agreement.”
In a report commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government and published in January 2013, Dr Anthony N Williams suggested providing more protection to members of the 1992 firefighters’ pension scheme.
The Scottish Government has agreed similar protection to the police scheme for firefighters after negotiations with the FBU.
