Pls RT @MattWrack -A Letter to your MP - Dear xxxxxx, It has today been announced that a debate and vote will be held on Monday the 15th of December in Parliament. This debate follows the EDM 454, currently at 263 signatures, of which only needs 324 signatures to get a majority. This leaves it only 61 signatures short of a majority. My letter to you today is to urge you to take part in this debate and make the right vote to support our fire fighters in defending their pensions and voting against the pension reforms proposed by the current Fire Minister Penny Mordaunt and the DCLG. Your vote can and will make a difference. Not only to the fire fighters but also to the safety of this countries people and equally to my decision when voting in the up and coming elections. I urge you to show that you truly represent this countries best interests and honour their concerns with the empathy and attention to detail this matter deserves, stand up to the reforms and vote in favour of the fire fighters. I ask you at the very least to read this email, take in the facts and absorb the impact this will have on fire fighters, their families and the economy in years to come. Then weigh up what you have to lose. If you cannot bring yourself to do this, and the party line forbids you from doing so, consider the option of abstaining your vote, indirectly supporting the objection to the imposed reforms regarding fire fighter pension legislation. This small act will go a long way to help protect the future of those that deserve nothing short of our full support. If the current offer is the best deal available, how is it Northern Ireland are able to offer fire fighters a normal pension age of 55, or that Scotland and Wales can offer fire fighters a reduced actuarial reduction of 9% in comparison to the 21% figure currently offered to the fire fighters of England? There are already to many inconsistencies and holes in the Fire Minister’s arguments to allow this legislation to just be pushed through. The fact that many fire fighters, who had signed up to a 30 year pension scheme that was guaranteed when signed, are now expected to work a further 10 years with approximately £30,000+ in additional pension contributions (not to mention the true increase in contributions over the 11% rate before the reforms began) with no gain in pension payable on retirement and a significantly reduce period of retirement. The current offer is neither sustainable nor fair to fire fighters or the economy. In the 70’s when the original fire fighters pension was written it recognised that the role of a fire fighter shortened their life span, hence the period of employment and the heavy contributions by the fire fighters to retire at an earlier age. This is more than pertinent today when considering the harmful substances they handle and the pyrolising man-made substance they come into contact with and inhale as part of their day-to-day work. In fact on reflection a study by the British Heart Foundation has highlighted that due to this exposure and the strain on the heart during the arduous tasks coupled with the detrimental effect of shift work their life spans could become shorter. (youtu.be/laiGerdUnak) With the current proposals weighed up against the shortened projected life span, serving fire fighters would see no gain from working the extra years and paying the extra contributions when unable to attain the national average lifespan depicted in recent press releases by the fire minister let alone the 87 years of age she had directly implied. Couple this with the likely hood highlighted by the Williams report that as little as 20% of current fire fighters would be able to maintain the level of fitness required to serve until 60 years of age fire fighters could end up being sacked on capability, seeing their pension frozen and ending up on benefits not able to gain employment due to the challenges of age against other potential job seekers. This is an avoidable burden on the economy. There are also a great number that had brought service pension across from the forces that will see it wiped from the slate due to the new pension reforms. That is not fair, just or the correct way in which we should reward anyone who serves this country, be it a abroad in the forces or at home in the fire service. Fire fighters are not interested in current proposals removing the cap so that “more pension can be earned”, this is already in place for fire fighters that could not achieve the full 30 years as they are now able to work past 55 years of age if they wish and continue paying contributions due to the modernisation of the fire service in 2004. What fire fighters want, and I think they deserve, is to honour their existing pensions or at the very least recognise the arduous, challenging and in many cases de-abilitating role they perform to tirelessly serve their public, your constituents. In a letter to one of her constituents Penny Mordaunt stated that the current reforms would only see a quarter of the current fire fighters undergoing a change in retirement age. This equates to approximately 6000 fire fighters based on the total number of currently serving fire fighters, not all of which are in a pension scheme. Honouring their retirement age would go some way to appease this dispute and help move forward in bringing it to a close. The cost of which would pale into insignificance against other government funded expenditures. Please take in the counter arguments and alternatives offered by the Fire Brigades Union and respectfully make the right decision, the only decision that is fair, just and right, to support our fire fighters and protect their future as they selflessly protect ours. I encourage you to do this, ask the right questions, get the honest answers, or call into your local fire station and ask them. They are professional, welcoming and informative. Their hearts are in the right place, they ask for nothing more than what they have paid for and what I think they deserve. Once you understand the true nature and consequences of these reforms I hope you will not hesitate in representing your constituents and the general public by supporting your fire fighters on Monday in this crucial debate. With only two working days before the debate I appreciate that this is a very tight deadline, so please do not hesitate in getting in contact with myself, your local fire station or the Fire Brigades Union should you require any further information. I look forward to your response xxxxxxx
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 19:00:38 +0000
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