Ombudsman investigates S&N pensions case

The pensioners said that Heineken had abandoned a decades-long policy of providing inflation-linked pension increases.

Tom Ward - former S&N corporate development and strategy director and now the spokesman for the S&N Pensions Group (SNPG) campaign, welcomed the inquiry from the ombudsman calling it “extremely useful and significant”.

He said: “The S&N Pensions Group welcomes the Ombudsman’s involvement as we believe that it is in pensioners interests to have a detailed investigation into all aspects of this affair.”

Heineken did pay an inflation-linked increase in 2008, and there was no such rise in 2009 when inflation was virtually zero. However, it paid nothing for 2010 when inflation was running at more than 4%.

The Dutch brewer said that the decision it took in 2010 was based on the outlook for the pension fund at the time and would be reviewed again this year.

A Heineken spokesman said: “We are fully aware that the Pension Ombudsman has agreed to impartially review complaints made by a number of S&N pensioners, indeed we informed those pensioners who were not satisfied with our direct responses to them that this was a route that they may wish to take.”