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Have your say - lobby your MP on the current pay issue
To lobby your local MP go to the website www.polfed.org, add your details and press send.
Alternatively you can use the text below in your own letter.
I am writing to ask you to support the campaign for fair pay for police officers and to sign the EDM 1986 on Fair Pay for Police Officers in the name of David TC Davies MP.
On the 27th of July 2007, the Police Negotiating Board was unable to reach an agreement on this years pay settlement for the United Kingdom's 170,000 police officers. The official side's offer to increase police pay from 1st September 2007 by 2.325% falls far below inflation and represents in real terms a reduction in pay. It is a criminal offence for police officers to take industrial action, we therefore need to be confident that our annual pay increase is fair and recognises this.
The annual police pay increase has traditionally been linked to those in the private sector. In recent years, public sector pay has risen faster than private sector; a position accepted by police officers. However, now that private sector pay is increasing faster than public sector the government wish to see police officers linked to the median of a group of public sector pay settlements. There could not be a worse time for our index to be changed.
The 2.325% offer derives from a Home Office commissioned review undertaken by Sir Clive Booth who recommended a new pay index based on the median of a number of public sector pay settlements. Whilst the Police Federation is not opposed to change, the index proposed includes a number of government departments whose pay arrangements in recent years have been lacking in transparency; some indicate 0% pay increases.
An alternative index put forward by the staff side is based on a different basket of public sector settlements but importantly also retains a strong element of private sector settlements. In addition we are seeking recognition for changing indexes at a time least favourable to police officers. The Police Federation through the staff side have tabled a pay claim for 3.94%.
Increasing pay on an annual basis by an agreed index has allowed police officers to go about their exacting duties with the confidence that they will not fall behind other groups of workers and that they will be treated fairly. This confidence is now in jeopardy.
What the Police Federation and the staff side of the PNB are asking is not unreasonable. What we are seeking is that the hard work of the 170,000 police officers in the UK is recognised with a fair pay settlement which reflects the sacrifices which they make and the fact that they put their lives on the line for their communities every day.
