Nearly 2,000 retired firefighters are trapped in the same pensions limbo that affects hundreds of police officers, 1919 has learned.
It is understood there are 1,835 individuals who left the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service between 2015 and 2022 still waiting for a final settlement which could be worth thousands of pounds per person.
Their plight is identical to that of retired officers who were moved pension schemes around a decade ago in a move that was later found to be unlawful.
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) is now under immense pressure to resolve the matter, having missed several deadlines and faces a possible probe by the Pensions Ombudsman following a raft of complaints.
Scott Symon, a retired firefighter from Carnoustie, is among those affected, and estimates he could be owed tens of thousands of pounds.
The 53-year-old, who retired in 2022, said: “You spend your entire career paying quite a lot of money into a scheme and then it’s not realised at the end.
“I was a group commander and if I attended a scene and could see it was getting worse, I’d put more resources into it.
“Yet the SPPA could see this was getting worse and haven’t done that.”
The figures were released by the SPPA under freedom of information legislation, and subsequently confirmed in a letter to an MSP by chief executive Stephen Pathirana.
Scott Symon, retired firefighter
Like police officers, firefighters were moved from the 1987 scheme to the less advantageous Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) arrangement.
But in 2018, that switch was ruled unlawful in an age-discrimination judgement referred to as the McCloud Remedy.
As such, the pensions of thousands of police officers and firefighters need to be recalculated, with many thought to be owed tens of thousands of pounds.
Those who retired closer to 2015 will likely receive the smallest uplift, while those who were part of the CARE scheme for several years – and therefore discriminated against for longer – could be owed significant sums.
But every case is different and depends on the worker’s specific circumstances, making a solution to the problem extremely challenging for the hard-pressed pensions agency.
The Fire Brigades Union in Scotland told 1919 it was “well aware” of the issue.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was in “active discussions” with the SPPA.
“We are aware of the delays in issuing the remedial service statements to some current and former employees, and we acknowledge the frustration it has caused,” said Lyndsey Gaja, the organisation’s head of people.
“We also recognise the challenges that delivering this unprecedented project presents to the SPPA.”
The issue is not limited to retired police and fire workers.
It was reported last month that other public servants, including teachers and NHS and local authority staff, are also embroiled in the confusion.
The overall bill for sorting the crisis is estimated to be as high as £1.7 billion for Scotland alone, with other parts of the UK also affected.
In September, 1919 reported how the SPPA had endured a five-fold increase in workload as a result of the row.
A spokesperson for the Tweedbank-based quango said work to resolve the issue involves extracting data “from multiple sources” and there are “significant technical challenges”.
But it is hoped firefighters will receive their statement by the end of the year.
“Retired members are already receiving their full pension based on the rules when they retired,” they said.
“Many will already be getting the best-value pension.
“Where their choice means a higher pension, they will receive any arrears including interest, paid for by the UK Government.
“Approximately 100,000 statements have already been issued to active members, those currently paying into a pension, across the SPPA administered schemes. Eleven thousand statements have been issued to eligible members who are retired.
“Our priority is to get firefighter members’ RSS [remediable service statement] right first time and to ensure we can process members’ remedy choice once made.”