Control staff retirement age

As members of the Local Government Pension Scheme, control staff are currently required to work until they reach state pension age, which from December 2018 will start to increase for both men and women to reach 66 by October 2020. The Government is planning further increases between 2026 and 2028 which will increase the state pension age from 66 to 67. Given the stress and additional pressure being placed upon Control Members it is obvious that many of our Members, especially those with longer service, may be forced to leave their jobs early and therefore will be losing a portion of their pension as a result. These Members, like our operational colleagues, have planned their retirement around the rules of their pension scheme when they joined the Fire and Rescue Service. Current Fire Brigades Union policy, as affirmed in the Executive Council Statement to Special Conference in 2012 is “that Control Members should be granted access to a Fire Service specifi c pension scheme”. Whilst Conference recognises that there have been discussions with the Government in the past, Conference believes that now is the time to press forward towards achieving this aim. Conference calls upon the Executive Council to work towards gaining access for Control Staff to the Firefi ghters’ Pension Scheme with a normal retirement age in line with operational fi refi ghters.

CONTROL STAFF NATIONAL COMMITTEE