The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has called for the closure of the Research Council Pension Scheme (RCPS) to be halted to avoid its members potentially being pulled into the Civil Service pension disruption.

The RCPS is a ‘by-analogy’ scheme to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) and follows the same scheme rules.

It is administered by Joint Superannuation Services (JSS) and set to close on 1 October 2026, with all active members to be transferred to the Civil Service ‘Alpha’ scheme.

PCS warned that the closure of the RCPS could result in nearly 5,000 people being brought into the Civil Service pension disruption, with CSPS administrator Capita and the Cabinet Office dealing with a backlog of 86,000 cases.

Administration of the CSPS moved from MyCSP to Capita on 1 December 2025, alongside the launch of a new online pension portal.

Since then, members have reported difficulties with logging in, incomplete pension records, long waits on customer service calls, and delays to pension quotes and payments.

Amid these issues, PCS called for the planned closure of the RCPS and the transfer of administration from JSS to Capita to be paused.

It also called for the guarantee of a consultation with trade unions before any further decisions were made and for a review of keeping administration in-house.

PCS stated the employer had responded and said the October 2026 transfer date was “increasingly at risk” and that it was working with the Cabinet Office and employers to make sure the reform can go ahead without disrupting pension payments.

The employer is legally required to close the RCPS, but PCS argued that any legal obligations did not override the duty to protect members.

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