The union Prospect has hit out at BT for its decision to appeal a High Court ruling which could result in 8,000 pension scheme members losing up to £120m in benefits.

The telecommunication giant is seeking to reduce the benefits of members of Section B of the BT Pension Scheme who reach State Pension Age between 6 December 2018 and 5 April 2021, resulting in an average lose of £15,000 per member.

In November, the High Court turned down BT’s challenge to a Treasury decision which affected the level of pension increases, however on Tuesday (30 April), the Court of Appeal granted BT permission to appeal a previous reversal in the High Court.

An appeal date has not yet been set.

Prospect national secretary, Noel McClean, said: “It’s extremely disappointing that BT is continuing its legal attacks on its employees’ pension rights.

“The High Court comprehensively rejected BT’s application for a judicial review but the potential savings that would result from a successful appeal have clearly motivated the company to carry on this fight.

“But any savings would be coming from the pockets of its current and former employees and that would be completely unfair. Even at this late stage BT should do the right thing and drop this case.”

According to Prospect, the announcement comes as BT seek to make cuts to its workforce as part of a restructuring review.

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