On the go: An employment tribunal ruled on Wednesday that more than 6,000 firefighters are entitled to return to pre-2015 public sector schemes, following similar decisions for other affected civil servant groups.
The claimants, members of the 1992 and 2006 firefighters’ pension schemes, are now entitled to be treated as if they have remained members of their original pension fund, with benefits including a retirement age of between 50 and 55, the Fire Brigades Union stated.
The government had already agreed similar interim declarations with other claimants in similar court cases, such as judges, the police and the Ministry of Defence Police.
The court case relates to a dispute that started in March 2015, when several public sector pension schemes were closed, and the members transferred into a replacement scheme.
Transitional provisions were put in place, which allowed older judges and firefighters to remain members of the old schemes, either until retirement or the end of a period of tapered protection, dependent on their age.
But in a ruling handed out in December, the Court of Appeal said that the government discriminated against the two groups on the grounds of age, race and equal pay in relation to changes to their pensions.
In June, the Supreme Court refused the government’s application to appeal the court case, which marked the end of the legal process.
In July, the government confirmed the ruling would apply to all public sector schemes, with an initial estimate that remedying the discrimination will add about £4bn a year in liabilitiesacross the board.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “Last Christmas, we gave firefighters the gift of a victory in the courts. This year, firefighters can celebrate knowing that their union has secured their rightful retirement – a gift borne of solidarity that proves what unions can achieve.
“The law has now changed and our FBU claimants will be entitled to return to their previous pension schemes. Legislation will need to be amended, but there can be no delay in implementing this remedy. Firefighters were robbed, and they must now be repaid.”
The FBU stated that it would now pursue compensation for injury to feelings and for financial losses for claimants who lost money due to the changes.
