On the go: The government could face legal challenges from hundreds of thousands of teachers and doctors following changes to their pension schemes, according to Leigh Day.
The law firm, which successfully challenged the government on judicial pensions in the Supreme Court earlier this year, believes that teachers and doctors could win a case based on age discrimination if they have been moved into a less beneficial pension scheme, as many have following 2015 reforms across the public sector.
It is preparing to bring a claim on behalf of teachers and doctors against the government with the a launch of a dedicated website this week. Leigh Day also represents around 15,000 police officers, whose claims for age discrimination have been lodged with the Employment Tribunal.
As was the case with judges’ pensions, younger teachers and doctors have been forced to move on to a new government pension scheme, which is less beneficial than their old scheme. Older teachers and doctors, who are within 10 years of retirement, have been allowed to stay on the old scheme.
Shubha Banerjee, associate at Leigh Day, said: “We believe that the way the government changed public sector pensions to the detriment of younger doctors and teachers was unlawful and unfair.
“Despite losing similar claims brought by judges and firefighters, the government has not made any firm commitments to fully remedy the issue for other public sector workers.”
Nigel Mackay, partner at Leigh Day, added: “As a result of the Supreme Court ruling in June, the government has ran out of options in relation to those judges and firefighters who have brought claims.
“However, it has not made any commitments to remedy the issue for any judges or firefighters who have not brought claims, or any other public sector workers, including doctors or teachers, that have been affected by the same changes to their pension policy.”
Government changes to pensions across the public sector in April 2015 were intended to reduce the cost of public sector pensions, but shielded older public sector workers by allowing them to remain in their current pension scheme. Meanwhile, younger workers moved to a lower rate of accrual on their defined benefit pensions.
