Norfolk Police Federation Chair Andy Symonds reacts to today’s 4.75% pay rise announcement for police officers

29 July 2024

Andy said: “Police officers have yet again been exploited by this broken mess of a pay review body. They have awarded police officers the lowest pay award of 4.75% out of the majority of other pay review bodies representing other public sector workers.

“This completely out of touch and broken pay review body must now be disbanded.

“My anger is aimed at the pay review body who clearly do not care that police officers are unique and that we have zero industrial rights and can be forced to work, have their days off and leave cancelled, assaulted at work on a regular basis as well as having to put up with many things that are detrimental to their mental and physical health, that no other worker has to.

“Officers have seen their pay eroded by over 20% since 2010. They see other public sector workers entering into negotiation with Government about their pay, they see others being awarded higher pay awards and better conditions. And police officers I represent here in Norfolk have to simply stand and watch when they have no such rights. They are being exploited.

“The industrial rights ballot we held in June this year, now comes into the bright light when it comes to engaging with this new Government. I accept that this Government has simply implemented the pay review body recommendations having only come to power in the last few weeks. But they must and will be aware that the system is broken and is unfair.

“The pay review body since its inception has and to this most recent report for the 2024 pay award has taken advantage of police officers lack of industrial rights.

“We seek the right to return to collective bargaining and binding arbitration when it comes to our pay process. We have seen the degradation in police officer pay and conditions for too long. Locally and nationally I will continue to fight for this right which should be a basic right for police officers. This new Government and Chief officers, now need to sit down with us to build a pay review process that all stakeholders can work with and have confidence in. The current situation is untenable.

“I mention Chief officers as they now need to stand up and be counted. They, as the employers recommended a 6% pay award. Therefore I expect every Chief officer to come out and offer their views on this pay award and the fact that the process is broken. That the officers they lead are being exploited by this unfair, broken pay review process. When they meet the Government as the employers they just need to be honest and tell them that the system needs an overhaul and the Police Federation are correct in that a return to collective bargaining and binding arbitration is the place to return to.

“This broken and exploitative pay review body ignored the employers. And most importantly it has ignored police officers.”

Police Pay Review Body full report