Thousands of police officers marching in London, in a protest over pay, have been boosted by a message of support from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The pay dispute has been prompted by the government’s refusal to backdate the 2.5 per cent pay award recommended by the Police Arbitration Tribunal last year.
The Police Federation, representing officers in England and Wales, said this effectively reduces the value of the pay award to 1.9 per cent for the year. The march in Westminster will see up to 20,000 officers campaigning for a fairer pay deal.
General secretary Brendan Barber sent the message to Police Federation chair Jan Berry, saying that the government made ‘a disastrous mistake’ when it decided to ignore the independent Police Arbitration Tribunal recommendations.
“The Government is plain wrong in seeking to impose across the public services below inflation pay rises, undermining in the process the integrity of the independent pay determination machinery that has contributed so much to industrial relations stability.”
Earlier this week, HR Zone reported on research from the Institute for Public Policy Research, claiming that police pay should be radically overhauled to reflect performance and skills rather than length of service.
