All public service pensions have gone through changes in recent years as have many private pension schemes, they simply became unaffordable and total collapse of pension schemes is something that needed to be prevented. People are living longer and claiming their pensions longer, something has to be done to fund those extra years, pensions don't grow on trees.
I agree that pay "at the top" in the fire service seems far too much.
The cutbacks are mostly due to central Government cuts, not the fire-service mismanagement? The silly beg-for-grants system where funding is available for new builds but not for maintaining the current service doesn't make sense and is taking local management control away and putting it into the hands of central Government. But of course the developers get their substantial cut out of everybody else's budgets that way.
I have always said I would be more than happy for the fire-service precept to be increased, its a very small part of the total Council Tax bill, increase in wages to the regular firemen hardly makes a difference and is certainly not worth the real risk of strikes.
The disrespect Greasby showed to the fire service still irks me.
1/ fire service pensions are now THE highest of all public sector ....over 14 % of salary yet no pay rise in years.
As FBU says " pay more work longer get less"
2/ fire chiefs pay is the highest ever average £160k more than the PM.
3/ alot of authority pensions are sold off to private companies like KIER who know nothing of the fire service.
4/ people are sicker for longer at the end, they dont die...thats the real issue. Theyre costly.
5/ the cuts are due to labour over spending yet they want to petition .....laughable.
6/ council tax ALWAYS goes UP & police/ fire cost but cover is worse or retained.
7/ it follows the usual uk MO . Bill goes up.public gets raped of money .service is worse.
8/ heres an example i know guys at wilmslow ( imagine the c tax there!) Theres NO cover esp at night...ellesmere ports 2nd truck travels all the way there just so theres 4 bods on stn.
Heres the stickler .....cfrs want to stop that 2nd pump ...no slack in the system and what if you get a house fire?? It got stopped this year , crewes 2nd pump was saved but new chief will try in 2019.
Its a disgrace.
9/ theres IS enough for fire pensions FBU proved it in court , welsh scots & irelands fire arent as punitive and ARE affordable.