Industrial Rights Poll Sends Clear Message To Government

10 July 2024

Police officers have sent a ‘clear message’ in voting overwhelmingly in favour of their representatives campaigning for collective bargaining on pay, according to Kent Police Federation.

More than 50,000 officers responded to a poll run by the Police Federation of England and Wales asking them whether they should pursue negotiation with binding arbitration when determining police pay.

And an astonishing 97.7% of those polled agreed that the PFEW should pursue such rights.

Neil Mennie, Chair of Kent Police Federation, said: “There has been a reliance on trust with previous governments recognising that officers as Crown Servants should be treated according to that status and have a fair method of applying pay and conditions.

“A position where the Government can write and mandate a negotiating board, restricting what it is able to decide, by its very nature is not independent.

“This poll has sent a very clear message, and the new Government needs to listen and revisit the mechanism of paying and looking after officers’ pay and conditions.

“Working in a vocational role should not mean taking advantage of those working in a tough, stressful environment and providing service to the public to keep us all safe.”

Calum Macleod, PFEW National Secretary, added: “This strong mandate from the membership sets us up to negotiate with the new government a fair and binding pay mechanism.

“Thank you to those who participated. PFEW’s National Council and National Board will begin creating a campaign for the introduction of a fair and binding pay mechanism on the behalf of our members.

“We realise a political agreement to change process can take time, but a new Government allows us the opportunity to take a fresh view on those issues that matter most to our members. We will keep you updated with progress.”

The poll, which ran from 3-21 June for Federated members, received 50,103 responses, with 97.7% in favour of wanting PFEW to campaign for collective bargaining with binding arbitration.