Striking Firefighter Myths

 

The government of the rich for the rich aren’t too fond of people who work hard for a living; and so take every opportunity they can to attack such workers if they think they can get away with it. To help along their despicable onslaught against the working-class the government are also quite prone to telling a few porkies, or as is often the case straight out lies.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) are just one of many groups of workers facing our deceitful government’s well-honed spin-masters; and stand accused, as is so often the case, of living lavishly at the public expense. No-one but the rich buy such crap, but nevertheless it is useful to bust a few myths that are all too-often regurgitated in the corporate media.

For instance, over the past few months, the government has repeatedly claimed that their proposed pension scheme for firefighters will be “one of the most generous” in the public sector. However, firefighters argue that they will be priced out by a scheme that will be far more expensive, but worth much less.

So while firefighters who currently take home around £1,650 a month will now pay around £320 a month (£3,800 a year) into their pension if they are in the Firefighters Pension Scheme, the government’s proposals will mean that the proportion that employers pay in contributions compared to firefighters is among the worst in the public sector. Generous is hardly the word!

Allegedly firefighters will soon be retiring with a pension of £19,600, but significantly this only applies if a firefighter joins at 20 (most don’t), and is able to work until 60. Here the government even acknowledges that up to 92% of current firefighters won’t be able to maintain operational fitness until 60 and will have to leave with a massively reduced pension to avoid a fitness related dismissal. Under the new “generous” scheme any firefighters forced to retire at 55 because their fitness is declining will lose 47.1% of their pension.

Finally it seems that these attacks on the firefighters pension rights are just the beginning, with proposals for 2014 meaning that their pensions contributions will have increased by 50% in four years. Firefighters have also been told to expect further increases in 2016 and subsequent years (although these details have not yet been released).

Ideally, Brandon Lewis, the fitness-obsessed government minister currently overseeing the attacks on the firefighters should quit his day job and try working to the age of 60 in such a dangerous and physically demanding job. But alas this isn’t going to happen, and most likely he isn’t going to drop his attacks unless the firefighters are able to link up their fight-back with other unions, a process that could be helped along by their joining forces with other members of the National Shop Stewards Network.

Then when united strike action has finally defeated the government perhaps we can celebrate by getting Lewis and his fellow corporate crony trustees at the British Triathlon Foundation to work as firefighters to pay their debt to society. A debt to society that will be particularly onerous to repay for the chairman of the Triathlon Foundation, Joe Garner, who until late last year served as the Chief Executive of HSBC Bank plc (see “HSBC, too big to jail, is the new poster child for US two-tiered justice system”). HSBC of course being firmly committed — like all good capitalist institutions — to sacking tens of thousands of their workers worldwide while giving their bosses pay rises… despite rising profits.

This is all par for the course for Brandon Lewis who just over a year ago proudly gave a speech to the Tax Payers’ Alliance; which for those who don’t know is a group of tax averse businessman who joined together to ensure that they pay still less tax to fund public services. (On this point, see Spinwatch’s useful article “A closer look at the Tax Payers’ Alliance”).

A large chunk of the Tax Payers’ Alliance’s money comes courtesy of their charitable arm, the Politics and Economics Research Trust, which until 2009 included former UKIP leader Lord Pearson of Rannoch among their “charitable” trustees. Although one should add (with disgust) that the Trust is supported by Labour and Tory MP’s alike.

With enemies like these it is no wonder firefighters across the country have been forced into taking strike action today from 10am until 2pm. If you have time why not go down to support them at your local fire station by joining them on their picket line; and while you are at it why not sign their online petition here.