As tension continues to simmer over the dispute about retirement age for firefighters, it looks unlikely that a compromise will be satisfactory to any party. From the point of view of the employers and government the current pension scheme is unaffordable, and in order to improve affordability additional payments into the scheme, together with an extended worklife, are being proposed in line with those in other sectors of the UK workforce. From the employees' perspective, the additional contributions to the firefighters' pension scheme appear punitive enough without having to work until the current proposed age of 60. Unless a compromise is achieved, the dispute will run for a considerable period, yet the last-minute call off of the second period of industrial action could signal the beginning of a negotiated settlement process.
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