The final public sector pensions “offer” covering firefighters was published on 9 February and it was immediately deemed “unacceptable” by the FBU’s Executive Council. The union is holding a three week consultation with members through brigade and committee meetings. The FBU’s executive recommended a “rapid move to prepare a strike ballot” and is meeting at the end of February to finalise the details. However even a quick ballot launched at the end of this month would not be finished in time to join the 28 March strike with other unions.
The Heads of Agreement covering firefighters’ pensions came out later than the other public sector schemes after the government delayed setting its cost ceiling. However the government has still imposed extra contributions, working longer and a career average scheme using CPI – the main prongs of its attack on all public sector workers’ pensions.
The requirement to work to 60 before retirement (up from 55 or earlier now) has particularly gnarled firefighters, who know that maintaining operational fitness in such an occupation is almost impossible. The New Firefighters’ Pension Scheme in 2006 imposed work until 60 and was opposed by the union.
The FBU has challenged the government to provide evidence that working to 60 is feasible. Because the government has none to hand, it has offered a review of the retirement age (known as the normal pension age). This may be a sop, but it is potentially a concession which might end up improving the retirement age for newer and retained (part-time) firefighters.
The FBU’s main argument is that working to 60 is unworkable for firefighters on fitness grounds, but also bad news for the public who don’t want aged firefighters trying to rescue them. The union argues that working longer would lead to a massive rise in ill-health retirements and use of capability procedures, which undermine the pension scheme itself. The government’s offer includes ten years protection and four more tapered, so a sizable chunk of the current workforce would still get to retire at 55 or earlier – though they will probably have to pay extra pension subs to do so.
Another big downside of the government’s “offer” is the increase in firefighters’ contributions from the current 11% (or 8.5% in the new scheme) to 13.2% from 2015, the highest in the public sector. Apart from the massive attack on firefighters’ living standards (now in the second year of a pay freeze) this level of contributions will force many firefighters into opting out of the schemes. Firefighters will also be covered by the OBR review into opt-outs, to be published at the time of the budget in March.
No announcement has been made of increasing firefighters’ pension contributions from April this year. If the government wants to do it – which seems likely – then it has to lay the regulations by early March.
So crunch time on pensions has arrived for the FBU too. Let’s hope it joins the ranks of those unions still willing to fight on pensions. Despite being a relatively small union (around 43,000 members), fire strikes can have a big impact – particularly now the army no longer provides cover. In the run up to the Olympics there is particular leverage – so now is the best time to fight.
