Page 6 - WMPF Federation AUG-SEPT 2019_Neat

Supreme Court ruling

Latest developments

on pensions

he Supreme Court ruled on l The Supreme Court decision applies After the advisory board meeting, John
firefighters’ pensions at the end of across the public sector Apter said: “The Government would not be
TJune refusing the Government leave l The Government concedes the existing drawn into what they were going to do next,
to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal police pensions legal claims or how they would be reacting to the
which had previously held that the l It honours the promises made to those Supreme Court judgement. But they said
transitional pension arrangements for nearest retirement, and maintains the they would release a statement before
firefighters and judges were illegal on the arrangements put in place Parliament’s summer recess begins on 25
grounds of age discrimination. l The Government must ensure that all July. This statement outlining their position
The Federation had been waiting for the those subject to discrimination are cannot come soon enough.” He added: “The
ruling, seeing the issue as being linked to its remedied appropriately legal case has been made by the Appeal
own questions over the new police pension. l The remedy must also apply to those Court ruling; now is the time for the
While waiting for the Government who have left the service. Government to step up and morally do the
response to the ruling, national Federation However, Rich Cooke, chair of West right thing.”
chair John Apter called for a resolution for all Midlands Police Federation, said the And John concluded: “If their statement
public sector pensions and, after attending a Federation was not going far enough. does not meet our expectations, then we are
pre-arranged meeting of the Pension “We should be demanding full reversion prepared to lodge claims on behalf of our
Scheme Advisory Board with officials from to the original schemes we joined in good membership. That work has already started.”
the Treasury and the Home Office on faith, on the basis of clear promises. This
Monday 1 July, days after the Supreme Court must be our ambition. I urge us to join with
ruling, confirmed the Police Federation the rest of the public sector and make this
would bring any appropriate legal claims on our number one priority. Nothing else is
behalf of members if its expectations were acceptable, in my view.”
not met.
The Federation is asking for all
protections for its members to be retained
until 2022, and that affected members must
be levelled up to this position.
It has also set out the following
expectations on the pensions issue:
l The Government must accept that all
transitional arrangements were
unlawful, but it must not, while
addressing that discrimination,
introduce other unfairness to our
members

06 federation August/September 2019 www.polfed.org/westmids