Stop Age Discrimination in Public Sector Worker Pensions!

Decent public sector pensions are being cut for younger workers, so when they eventually retire they will be left with poverty pay. This is age discrimination and must stop. All public sector workers - such as teachers, firefighters, doctors and nurses - deserve a good pension when they retire. 

In January 2017, The Ministry of Justice upheld claims that over 200 judges were discriminated against by the Lord Chancellor and the Ministry of Justice in relation to changes made to their pensions. Younger judges had been forced to leave the Judicial Pension Scheme in April 2015, whilst older judges were allowed to remain in the scheme. This discrimination was not justified. The Tribunal found that the changes caused younger judges to suffer a disproportionate loss to their pensions purely because they were younger. 

Other public sector groups, such as teachers, firefighters, doctors and nurses, are being subjected to similar negative changes to their pensions. Since the Ministry of Justice deemed it to be discriminatory when judges were the victims, the same ruling should be applied to all public sector workers.

The 2015 Firefighters' Pension Scheme saw thousands of younger firefighters transferred into a scheme where they have to work until the age of 60, pay more in contributions and work for longer than they would have in the old scheme. This is textbook discrimination and the Fire Brigades Union has mounted a legal challenge against the government.  A decision is still to be made in this case.

Please sign this petition now to demand no more reductions in public sector pensions for younger workers, and to reverse any cuts to public sector pension schemes in recent years.