LOOK FORWARD
WHAT’S NEXT FOR POLICE PAY
Hear from National Secretary Calum MacLeod on the latest police pay award
Towards the end of last month, just a day before Parliament rose for summer recess, the Home Office confirmed that the Government would be accepting the recommendation of the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) in full, meaning police officers will receive a 4.75 per cent pay increase from 1 September this year. Like me, you probably had a mixed reaction to the news. When you look at the pay awards for others across the public sector and take account of the real term cut of 17 per cent that we have experienced since 2010, then 4.75 per cent begins to close the gap – but just that, and no more. So, not the best news. On the other hand, it was pleasing to see the new Government accept in full the recommendation of the PRRB and other pay review bodies, it goes some way to show they are willing to engage and listen. Ultimately, the issue seems to be
less about the new Government, and more about the failure of the PRRB to recommend a pay award that takes account of the real term cut officers have faced over the last decade. With that in mind
the employers’ side to negotiate a fair pay settlement. Proper negotiation, rather than imposition of a pay award. Then, if there is a failure to agree, an
and given the failure of the pay review body to acknowledge the lack of industrial rights that can be exercised by officers, the publication of the industrial rights poll that thousands of you took part in, couldn’t be better timed. Over 50,000 of you participated in the poll, with 98 per cent saying that you want the Police Federation to campaign for the introduction of collective bargaining with binding arbitration for police officers’ pay in England and Wales. Your message to us is clear – you want
a return to a proper negotiation process, where we get around the table with representatives from government and
38 | POLICE | AUGUST | 2024 “Your message to us is clear – you want a
return to a proper negotiation process, where we get around the table with representatives from government and the employers’ side to negotiate a fair pay settlement.”
independent arbitration process should take over whose decision is binding on government and all parties. That is our message to government.
We do not believe the current pay mechanism is independent and want to see the re-introduction of collective bargaining. Over the coming months we will be pushing that message to the hundreds of new MPs, to the Home Secretary, to the Police Minister and to
the government. We want a fair pay mechanism for officers that recognises the unique and dangerous function they undertake to keep communities safe. A pay mechanism that takes account that police officers cannot be members of a trade union or withhold labour. These are early days for the new Labour government. They say
they want to introduce change, and we want to see change too. We want to work with government to deliver this. We realise it will not happen overnight, but our position is clear. If, in the future it becomes apparent that government is not going to consider this change, then we will come back to the membership to seek their view on whether they want PFEW to lobby for full industrial rights.
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