Date: 24 August 2023
Dear Brother/Sister
Injury to Feelings 2015 Claimants: Members who have not received an email requesting authority to transfer their claim to Thompsons Solicitors
This circular deals specifically with FBU members who believe that they registered a claim for injury to feelings in 2015 (first wave claimants) and who have not received an email from Walkers Solicitors requesting authority to transfer their claim to Thompsons Solicitors.
The cases of the second wave claimants (the 2020 claimants) have yet to be settled, further work is being undertaken on these cases, details of this can be found in circular 2022HOC0512MW.
Members will be aware that emails from Walkers Solicitors (due to Ivan Walker’s retirement) have been sent out to the 2015 claimants requesting authority to transfer their claims to Thompsons Solicitors. Many thousands of members have already responded giving their consent to transfer. Thompsons Solicitors will shortly be sending out their client care letters to the 2015 first wave claimants who have confirmed their consent to transfer.
‘I believe I registered a claim in 2015 (or I’m not sure if I registered a claim in 2015) and I haven’t received an email, what should I do?’
There are a number of reasons why members who registered a claim in 2015 may not have received an email from Walkers Solicitors. These include members using a Fire and Rescue Service email address to register their claim in 2015 with the member then subsequently retiring without access to the FRS email system, email accounts (and email account providers) used to register their claim in 2015 being closed with the member having no access to the account, wrong email addresses being provided and members changing their email address without informing the union.
The logistical and legal issues preventing the union gaining access to the list of 2015 claimants have now been resolved. Therefore, members who registered a claim in 2015 (first wave claimants) but who have not yet received an email from Walkers Solicitors are now invited to email:
When emailing [email protected] please provide the following information in your email:
- FBU Membership number
- Full Name
- Date of Birth
- Email address to be used for future correspondence
- If available, email address used to register the claim in 2015
Please put your name and membership number in the subject line of the email.
You will firstly receive an email auto-confirm response and subsequently an email response confirming whether or not you are recorded as a registered 2015 claimant. If you are recorded as a registered claimant the response email will confirm this and your contact details will be updated and provided to the Solicitors. There will be a considerable amount of updating of Solicitors databases required so please allow time for the Solicitors to contact you.
If we do not have a record of you as a 2015 claimant you will also receive a response and will be asked for further information. The automated response sent out when the claims were registered in 2015 had ‘Pension survey confirmation’ as the subject line. Members should search their email account (and junk mail) for ‘Pension survey confirmation’ and if located provide this auto confirm email when requested to do so, members may wish to provide this in their initial email enquiry although that is not required at the initial enquiry stage.
If you receive a response stating that we do not have a record of you as a 2015 claimant this does not mean that you are not a 2020 claimant, it is just that we are unable to confirm that at present. This is due to ongoing legal work in relation to the collation of 2020 claims.
Please note that this email address will not respond to any other pension’s enquiries, for other pensions related matters please speak to your local FBU Official here: https://www.fbu.org.uk/regions-nations
Yours in unity,
Mark Rowe
National Officer
