Submitted by SWFBU on
Dear Brother/Sister,
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT JOINING THE RDS MODIFIED SCHEME IN ENGLAND
The FBU won a huge legal victory for firefighters working the retained duty system in relation to their access to firefighter pension schemes. This has been followed up by a huge amount of negotiation resulting in the creation of a new scheme (RDS Modified Scheme) which has all the benefits of the 1992 Firefighters’ Pension Scheme. These negotiations, which concluded some time ago, only involved the FBU from the employee side. Since they finished we have been trying to apply pressure to ensure the scheme was introduced as soon as possible.
In England the legislation required to introduce the scheme has now finally been enacted and the pension scheme comes into force from 1 April 2015. The scheme will be available to retained firefighters who had service for all or part of the period 1 July 2000 to 5 April 2006 inclusive. The Department for Communities and Local Government has now commenced a process called an ‘options exercise’ to ensure fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) provide eligible individuals with the opportunity to join the scheme.
This ‘options exercise’ requires FRAs to use all reasonable endeavours to contact all potentially eligible firefighters and tell them of their right to choose to be a special member of the modified scheme. The FRA should have already started contacting those eligible and provided them with an expression of interest form. This should have started from 1 April 2014 and is scheduled to run until 1 June 2014. An individual receiving this expression of interest form has 2 months from receiving the form to fill it in and return it to the FRA.
The options exercise has an element of flexibility built in so that an individual or FRA who cannot comply with this timeframe is given every reasonable opportunity to express an interest in joining. It is important however to also consider that any flexibility must also consider that the implementation date for the scheme is fixed at 1 April 2015.
Filling in this form is only treated as a request for further information at this stage and does not commit you to purchasing pension benefits. It will however indicate to the FRA that you are considering joining the scheme and as such you will be provided with a written statement outlining what benefits you are entitled to and the cost of these benefits.
The decision whether to join or not can be made later but the expression of interest form must be returned to complete this stage of the process.
The option to join is not just restricted to serving members as there are several categories of membership available including;
• Special firefighter members – for serving firefighters.
• Special deferred members – for firefighters who have left the service but are not yet entitled to access any pension benefits.
• Special pensioner members – for firefighters who have left the service but will be immediately eligible to access their pension benefits on joining the modified scheme.
• Deceased firefighters – where a spouse, civil partner or a dependent child may be eligible for a time-limited death grant of 2.5 x pensionable pay that the individual received in the last year of service.
• Retrospective ill health pensioner – for firefighters who are not in service but would have been eligible for an ill health retirement had they been a full scheme member.
These categories are explained in more detail in the paperwork described later in this circular.
The FRAs as employers should contact all those who are eligible but there may be circumstances whereby individuals are not identified. While the FBU has no responsibility to identify eligible individuals it is important that we attempt to minimise the possibility of our members missing out. By posting this information on the website and bringing it to the attention of members we would hope that it can be discussed wider and maximises the dissemination of this information.
It is important that if you are or think you may be eligible to join that you are aware of the different types of membership and also that you are given the opportunity to join.
A copy of the template letters and associated paperwork that has been sent to all FRAs in England has been posted on the FBU website www.fbu.org.uk
Please take the time to read these documents and if in any doubt please contact your FRA.
Further information and advice will be available for FBU members.
Yours in Unity,
SEAN STARBUCK
National Officer
