SPF Newsletter on Pay
15 August 2007                    www.spf.org.uk	SPF Chairman Norrie Flowers said , “For two years the Staff Side has been trying to sort this out through negotiation. But the Official Side has been controlled by the Treasury and the Home Office and they want to impose an unfair system.”   “It is now time for police officers themselves to get involved and engage their MPs and MSPs. Write to them, go to see them, whatever it takes to get the message across.”   “All we are looking for is fair pay uprating and negotiating systems. These must recognize that we cannot take industrial action and we have other occupational restrictions on us. All we ask is fairness.”
PAY DISPUTE HEADS TO ARBITRATION AGAIN   At a conciliation meeting today the Official Side of the PNB stuck to its proposal for a real terms pay cut for police officers. No agreement was reached and, as in 2006, this year's pay increase will have to be decided by the Police Arbitration Tribunal (PAT) at ACAS.   Joe Grant, SPF General Secretary said, “It will anger police officers to know that while the Home Office say they support the police they propose a below inflation pay rise for them. We do not believe that police authority members or Chief Constables would wish to treat us this way and we think the Home Office and the Treasury have taken over the Official Side. Despite what the Official Side may say publicly, their offers today were evidence of deep division in their ranks not cohesion.”   Mr Grant continued, “ Gordon Brown talked about supporting the police after the recent UK terrorism incidents - his Government is not doing that - the Treasury and the Home Office are in fact attacking a fair pay deal for the police. If the police had acted like the Government in these two years of negotiations our intefrity would be in question." As Staff Side prepare for arbitration the Scottish representatives have this message for their members "While we cannot take any form of industrial action that does not mean we are going to be bullied into submission. Government cannot stop us from campaigning for a fair pay deal, and that's what we'll do."
TIMETABLE – Why we are where we are.   October 2005 - Official Side (OS) paper proposing pay system to reward skills and performance from September 2006. April 2006 - While negotiations ongoing OS promise that non-manual private sector index would be maintained until alternative was agreed July 2006 - Staff Side (SS) lay claim for non-manual private sector index (3%). OS refuse to agree despite promise August 2006 - OS offer 2.2%. SS reject. November 2006 - Police Arbitration Tribunal (ACAS) awards SS 3% November 2006 - Home departments ratify award and announce ‘independent' review of pay uprating and negotiating machinery February 2007 - ‘Independent' enquiry recommends shift from non-manual private sector index and across the board pay increases to a new public sector index with differential application ie not all officers would receive the same increases. SS condemn inquiry findings as ‘rigged', ‘unfair' and totally blind to special employment conditions of the police. July 2007 - SS claim 3.94% based on a new combined private/public sector index. OS offer 2.325% based on ‘independent' enquiries new public sector index. August 2007 – Conciliation – No agreement reached – referred to Arbitration.
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