Local Police Officers’ Anger Over Pay Claim

Over the last month I have received quite a number of letters from Police Officers who live in Hayes and Harlington. It is not usual for an MP to receive correspondence from serving Police Officers as they are extremely careful about not appearing in any way to become involved in any form of political lobbying.

Police Officers have the same right as anybody else though if they feel that they are not being treated fairly as employees within the public sector.

Well the reason I am receiving letters from Police Officers who are my constituents is that at present they are not being treated fairly over the issue of their latest pay talks.

This is the situation. In 1978 a Committee of Inquiry under Lord Edmond Davies recommended that the unique position of Police Officers, who are unable to take industrial action and are accountable for their actions on and off duty means that their annual pay awards should be determined by an independently assessed pay formula.

Every year for 27 years this approach has operated and each year the Government has honoured the basic pay formula.

This year the annual indexation of police pay would have resulted in a 3% pay rise from 1st September.

However in August the employers backed by the Government refused to honour the agreement, despite assurances given to the Police Federation reprsenting Police officers that there would be no meddling with the pay formula.

I am writing back to Police Officers who are my constituents to tell them that I believe that the Government and Police Authorities should honour their agreement and should pay the increase that has been recommended.

Refusal to abide by the system specifically established to deal with the special circumstances of the Police is in my view a betrayal of trust.

I met with representatives of the Police Federation in Parliament this week and offered them my support in their campaign for fair pay.

Earlier this month a similar issue arose with Prison Officers. Under the last Conservative Government Prison Officers had their legal right to take industrial action taken away. When Labour was in opposition it promised the Prison Officers Association that this right would be restored.

It hasn’t been and whenever Prison Officers take even the most limited forms of action such as not co-operating with extra overtime or additional duties, the union is threatened with legal action. Indeed this month the Government almost had the President and the General Secretary of the union imprisoned for contempt of court when POA members wanted to show their anger at the way they were being treated by their employers by limiting their co-operation on voluntary duties.

The Government needs to keep to its word on both the pay of Police officers and the commitment it gave to restore the basic employment rights of prison officers. Otherwise we risk undermining the morale of many of the people who serve our community in the most difficult circumstances.

submitted by John on 12 Oct 2006 at 21:08