Federation to campaign for industrial rights

8 July 2024

Frustrated officers fed up of what they see as an unfair pay review process have given their backing to the Police Federation of England and Wales pursuing industrial rights on their behalf.

This will involve campaigning for a fair process of collective bargaining and binding arbitration within the Government’s police pay review mechanism.

In all, 97.7 per cent of those who took part in the Police Federation’s nationwide poll of members voted in favour of campaigning for industrial rights.

“This shows the strength of feeling among our members,” says Simon Riley, chair of Nottinghamshire Police Federation. “They are fed up that the current pay review process through the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) is weighted in the Government’s favour.

“PRRB is given its remit by the Government which can, for example, set a limit on the size of any pay award, regardless of the evidence presented. Then, giving even more power to the Government, it can also ignore any recommendations PRRB makes.

“This is totally unfair and, to add further salt to the wound, unlike other groups of workers, police officers have no right to strike or to take any form of industrial action.

“Historically, this was part of the deal between the police and the government of the day. Police officers accepted a whole host of restrictions placed upon them but, in return, government committed to giving them a fair deal on pay.

Pay review mechanism

“Sadly, that no longer seems to the case. When PRRB was set up in 2014 it replaced the previous pay review mechanism – the Police Negotiating Board - which did give officers the right to independent arbitration and, unfortunately, we have seen our pay fall in real terms ever since.

“We have withdrawn from the PRRB process and strongly believe that this body should now be replaced with an independent body.”

The Police Federation poll on industrial rights ran from 3 to 21 June this year and attracted 50,103 responses.

The Federation’s National Council and National Board will now start to create the campaign for the introduction of a fair and binding pay mechanism.

Simon concluded: “We now have a new Government, and I hope it is going to take notice of the results of this poll. As a local Federation branch, we are going to write to all our county MPs and hope to be able to meet with them soon so we can discuss this poll but also the other issues that are affecting the officers who serve the communities of Nottinghamshire.”

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