Dismore condemns Barnet Conservative MPs for voting for pension changes that put the public’s and firefighters’ lives at risk
Andrew Dismore Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden, London Fire Authority member and parliamentary candidate for Hendon today condemned Barnet’s three Conservative MPs for voting against Labour’s House of Commons motion on Fire Service pensions, as they instead the backed cuts to the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme.
Andrew Dismore said
‘The changes that the Conservative Government is making to firefighters’ pensions put firefighters’ health and safety at risk, by requiring them to work to the age of 60 or face reductions in their pensions. Having firefighters forced to work till that age will put the public at risk if they are called on to effect rescues from burning buildings. Firefighters risk their lives to save ours and they deserve better than this.
‘It is a disgrace that the three Barnet Conservative MPs, including the MP for Hendon, all voted against Labour’s motion to stop the pension cuts and for cuts firefighters’ pensions in this way, putting the public and firefighters at risk as result .
‘The Government’s Firefighters’ Pension Regulations are flawed and not fit for purpose. They are based on an assumption about a dangerously low fitness standard, which will put public safety and the lives of firefighters at risk. The Government should have negotiated a solution with the firefighters’ union, the FBU, and not imposed their regulations, cutting the pension scheme, in this way.
‘The Williams Review, which the Government itself commissioned into fitness standards, states that the aerobic fitness measure the Government is basing their plans on means “the risk of sudden catastrophic cardiac events increases… with a risk of sudden death particularly while undergoing high levels of physical exertion”. This flawed fitness standard would put firefighters needlessly at risk and fail to protect the public.
‘On the other hand, If a more robust fitness standard is implemented it would mean that the assumptions on which the Government’s pension regulations are based would no longer be valid. The result would be that a number of firefighters who try to maintain fitness would be unable to meet these fitness requirements into their late 50s through no fault of their own due to the aging process, and would face cuts in their pensions as a result .
‘Barnet’s Conservative MPs should be ashamed of themselves.’
