THE government was urged today to stop “dragging its heels” on improving the pensions of firefighters and other public-sector workers.
In a letter to Treasury Minister Rishi Sunak MP the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has demanded that the government implement a court decision to increase pension benefits for firefighters and public-sector workers.
The root of the dispute stems back to 2015 when the government amended firefighter pensions with a new proposal that meant older firefighters were kept on better pension schemes while younger firefighters were moved on to schemes that would offer less.
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
