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3-year police officer pay settlement agreed

Following discussions that have taken place between Staff Side of PNB and the Official Side including the Home Office over the last week we can today announce that a three-year settlement for police officer pay has been secured. This will take effect from 1st September this year and run through to 31 August 2011.

In light of the current national economic situation and ahead of the Police Arbitration Tribunal hearing scheduled for 21 October to determine a one-year pay settlement for 2008, Staff Side of PNB entered discussions with the Home Office and Official Side to explore whether an agreeable settlement could still be reached. Especially as independent economists advising the Federations made clear that a Pay Review Body could potentially bring substantially lower settlements and that if a three-year deal was still available, then in the interests of securing the best possible increase in pay for the members of the Police Federation for NI should seriously consider securing such a deal.

The discussions with the Home Office and Official Side have now secured a three-year deal which is 2.65% for this year, 2.6% for 2009 and 2.55% for 2010.

The advantages of this deal are: -

In the current economic climate this is a good deal
In real terms this settlement is worth more than it was in July
This is the best multi-year deal offered to any workers in the public sector
The settlement will be backdated to 1st September this year
Every effort will be made to ensure payment is received by officers before Christmas
There is a reopening clause which means that if there is a substantial change in economic and labour market conditions and they are impacting on police officer recruitment then, either in August 2009 or August 2010, Staff Side of PNB can go to the Police Arbitration Tribunal (PAT) to seek re-opening of pay negotiations. If the PAT agrees the conditions of the re-opening clause have been satisfied that decision to re-open negotiation will be binding on the Home Secretary
The Home Secretary has agreed with immediate effect that she will end the consultation process on a Police Officers Pay Review Body and has given written assurance that, in the lifetime of this current Parliament, the Government will not seek to legislate for a Pay Review Body to determine police pay and conditions.
This deal ensures that the Police Negotiating Board will continue to be the negotiating machinery for police officer pay and conditions of service.

The following shows what this settlement will mean in real terms over the three years for federated rank officers at the top of their pay scale:

TOP OF SCALE RATES OF PAY (Approx) 2007-2010

Please note these figures do not include the CRTP payment of Ł1,122 (2007).

Constables

Sergeants

Inspectors

Inspectors (London)

Chief Inspectors

Chief Inspectors (London)

Chief Inspectors in post 31 August 1994

Chief Inspectors in post 31 August 1994 (London)

The following is the text of a statement issued to the press today:

Paul McKeever, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says:

"Today's announcement is a success; not only to ensure that police officers get the best deal possible over the coming years but also to ensure the survival of the Police Negotiating Board.

"In the current gloomy economic climate this is a very good deal for UK police officers and the best multi-year settlement secured in the public sector. It offers stability and reassurance for the next three years, an annual pay increase on time and in full with the opportunity to get back round the table to renegotiate during the three-year period should there be a marked change in the economic conditions and an impact on police officer recruitment and retention.

"The Home Secretary has also agreed that for the period of the settlement she will be bound by a decision of the Police Arbitration Tribunal if they determine that the re-opening criteria has been met, which would provide an opportunity for the Staff Side and Official Side of PNB to renegotiate the pay deal.

"Today's announcement also ensures the existence of the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) for future years as the Home Secretary has given an assurance that she will, with immediate effect, end the consultation process for a Police Officers' Pay Review Body and that the government will not take steps to legislate for the introduction of a police pay review body during the lifetime of this Parliament. This allows PNB the opportunity to demonstrate that it can work effectively rather than facing the immediate uncertainty of a pay review body."