Latest editorial
Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) stand on the picket line at Cambridge Fire Station in 2013
FIREFIGHTERS claimed victory against the Tory government today after an employment tribunal ordered a reversal to the “robbing” of their pensions.
As a result of the ruling, about 6,000 firefighters who had been moved onto a less generous pension scheme in 2015 will now be allowed to return to the previous scheme.
In 2015 the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government attempted to undercut pensions by moving younger firefighters to a new pension scheme, requiring them to work until they were 60 years old, while leaving the pensions of older workers untouched.
The FBU is demanding 52 weeks of full pay for women firefighters, highlighting the unique health risks they face — and the continuing need to recruit and retain more women if policies like this are still not in place, writes SEONA HART