Policing Needs Genuine Negotiations On Pay

10 July 2024

Police should have the right for genuine negotiations over pay and conditions, and the current police pay review body should be abolished, Norfolk Police Federation has said.

Chair Andy Symonds was speaking after it was revealed that 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.

Andy said: “From my conversations with officers here in Norfolk over the last few years, it was crystal clear that they were quite simply fed up of not having any form of rights when it comes to their pay and conditions.

“They’ve seen their pay eroded by over 20% since 2010. They see other public sector workers entering into negotiation with Government about their pay. And police officers standing watching when they have no such right.

“Officers are not asking for anything that we haven’t had before. Back in 2014 police officers had what is called the Police Negotiating Board (PNB), until it was replaced with a pay review body which has its terms of reference set by the Government of the day.

“Officers currently have zero rights when it comes to their pay and conditions, and all we’re asking for is a return to a system we had pre-2014. In fact, police officers in Scotland were never forced into having a pay review body to set their pay and conditions and they still have the Police Negotiating Board. The pertinent word in the PNB is negotiating.

“All police officers want is an ability to negotiate our pay and conditions, like every other public sector worker has. Officers don’t want the right to strike – they accept that they are not an employee with all the rights and entitlements that come with this. But what they cannot accept is the status quo in which the system is rigged against them and does not take into account our limited rights when it comes to pay and conditions.

“It is now imperative for the new Government to start to rebuild trust with police officers and listen to the strength of feeling among officers when it comes to being treated fairly – particularly in terms of their pay and conditions.

“Officers rightly feel, and evidence shows, that they have suffered with more erosion in their pay and conditions than any other group of public sector workers. I believe this is down to the fact that we have zero industrial rights and any ability to negotiate.

“Therefore the Government must engage with us as a matter of urgency, like they are with the junior doctors. They should start with abolishing the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and inviting officers into the room to negotiate our pay and conditions. This would start to rebuild the loss of confidence that police officers have in Government.

“Locally, I will be having meetings with Norfolk’s new PCC as well as seeking meetings with Norfolk’s nine MPs to reinforce the strong and clear message that police officers require a change in how their pay and conditions are dealt with.”

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.