The Police Superintendents’ Association and the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) have asked for a pay rise of 5% in each of the next three years in their joint submission to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB).
The submission puts forward a body of evidence for the uplift, citing the economic impact of lengthy pay stagnation, affordability, and benchmarking comparisons.
Should a three-year settlement not be considered possible, the submission recommends a single uplift of 6.2% for 2019.
The submission also criticises the lack of consultation over pay, and calls for greater scrutiny of the costs of pay reform.
As well as the joint report, the Association has also provided a joint submission with the Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland to the PRRB evidencing issues that specifically concern the Superintending ranks.
It makes 17 requests for the PRRB to consider or comment on, including:
- payment for any 24-hour period of on-call;
- new contributory-based pay points at the top of the scales for both Superintendent and Chief Superintendent ranks, achieved through performance;
- a budget for bonus payments, to include backdating; a national application process for bonus payments; and the continuation of bonus payments until pay reform processes are agreed and implemented;
- the lack of progress on annual allowance;
- geographical and mileage allowances;
- the growing inconsistency in the way pay-related regulations are being applied; and
- the overall process for the remit letter and process relating to the PRRB’s report.
The submission also discusses in detail the Associations’ joint concerns about the fairness and conduct of staff-employer industrial relations, and how these can be rebalanced to consider and involve all parties.
This includes recommendations for how the Police Consultative Forum, or any replacement for this, should be constituted and operated.
This includes recommendations for how the Police Consultative Forum, or any replacement for this, should be constituted and operated.
National Secretary Dan Murphy said:
“Our requests are carefully considered, practical, and underpinned by evidence. The submission reflects a growing frustration and sense of unease within policing about the terms and conditions that officers work to, and the way that pay and workforce reform is being carried out.
“The best reform programmes work with staff, inform and include them, and value their contributions to make change successful.
“Our members feel strongly that policing is a vocation: a public service that people commit themselves to, and will always go the extra mile for.
“But this does not mean this goodwill and sense of duty should be taken advantage of, particularly as the service has fewer employment rights than other professions.
“Officers must have confidence in the pay review process, the wider workforce reform drive, and in the organisations and individuals involved in it. This is essential not just for officers serving now but for those who will serve in the future, and to ensure policing continues to attract high-quality, talented people.”
“The best reform programmes work with staff, inform and include them, and value their contributions to make change successful.
“Our members feel strongly that policing is a vocation: a public service that people commit themselves to, and will always go the extra mile for.
“But this does not mean this goodwill and sense of duty should be taken advantage of, particularly as the service has fewer employment rights than other professions.
“Officers must have confidence in the pay review process, the wider workforce reform drive, and in the organisations and individuals involved in it. This is essential not just for officers serving now but for those who will serve in the future, and to ensure policing continues to attract high-quality, talented people.”