Pay Update
The announcement that police officers will get a pay award of £1,900 from 1 September 2022 is welcomed by PFNI. However the average 5 per cent award is below inflation and falls far short of the amount required to address the real terms pay cuts of 20 per cent in the past 10 years.
It is positive news for those young in service but is disappointing for those longer in service and in supervisory ranks who are also struggling financially with additional cost-of-living pressures.The current process is beset with delays and the award is over 5 months behind the award to colleagues in England and Wales.
The PRRB was created to provide an independent, evidence-based approach to determining police pay rises each year, however limitations on its scope inhibit its independence meaning its processes are ineffective and unfair. The Government set the remit for the pay round and curtail the formation of recommendations by setting parameters such as the inflation target.
Colleagues in Police Federation England and Wales withdrew from the PRRB process in 2021 after its recommendations were disregarded by the Government, which chose to implement a zero per cent pay award. Considering the delays not only with the main pay award but also incremental pay, PFNI will adopt a change of tact in our engagement with the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB).
PFNI now seek the ability to go to mediation in future pay rounds instead of the present unsatisfactory arrangement where PRRB recommends pay awards to Government.
Please see below link to the full report
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-remuneration-review-body-8th-report-2022