Police
Pay – Some Questions and Answers
As
the ‘usual date' for updating police pay (1 st September) passes without
an agreement for a pay award in 2007, SPF answers some questions.
What's
happening?
The
Scottish Police Federation, together with colleagues from the other
police staff associations throughout England and Wales and Northern
Ireland (the Staff Side of the Police Negotiating Board), is trying
to ensure that police officers throughout the UK receive a fair pay
settlement for 2007. The negotiating stage of the process has failed
and independent arbitration through ACAS will be on 2 November 2007.
Why
did negotiation fail?
The
Home Office and the Treasury through the Official Side, (those we
negotiate with) are trying to change the index our pay is linked to.
The index we have had for 28 years linked us to non-manual private
sector workers. This year it produced 3.4%. The Official Side want
to link us to the public sector and their index has produced 2.325%.
What's
the problem with being linked with the public sector?
Police
officers are not employees. They are office holders who are:
- Accountable on and off duty
- Required for duty 24/7
- Required to obey lawful
orders
- Restricted on industrial
action, union membership, business interests, political activity
and their private lives
- They are an unique and special
occupational group
But
didn't you claim 3.94%?
Yes.
In an effort to reach an agreement, we looked at a public/private
sector index and took account of the need to be compensated for the
change. Right now, the private sector indices are rising while the
public sector indices are falling, so compensation for the change
would only be reasonable.
So
what happens now?
ACAS
should take around 3 weeks to make a decision. That becomes an agreement
of the PNB. Scottish Ministers can then choose to ratify the finding
or impose an alternative award.
What
is the Federation doing about this?
All
that any of us are looking for is a fair pay deal. We will be submitting
our written and oral evidence to arbitration. We will be talking to
politicians and other stakeholders, both at a national level and locally
through the Joint Branch Boards.
What
can I do to help?
Writing
to your MP, MSP or indeed the Prime Minister would demonstrate the
strength of feeling there is throughout the Scottish police service.
