Fair Pay Settlement Needed as Police Officers Work to Rule

I have written to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, Angela Constance MSP, raising my concerns that members of the police force will be taken advantage of as service police officers prepare to work to rule in “withdrawal of good will” action over pay negotiations.

The Scottish Police Federation have called on Scottish Ministers to match the 5.5% pay rise given to nurses and other NHS workers in Scotland which David Kennedy, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation described as “a fair deal for the frontline police officers.”

I raised my concerns that police officers will be taken advantage of in pay negotiations as police officers in Scotland are legally barred from striking or withdrawing labour, so they do not have the same opportunity at recourse other public sector workers have.

The “withdrawal of good will” action will mean police officers will not start work early, stop shifts at their scheduled end time, not take personal protective equipment or other police items home and test all vehicles prior to beginning work. Police officers will still work overtime if requested but will claim payment afterwards.

The Justice Secretary must ensure a fair settlement for police officers to bring a swift end to any disruption to Scotland’s policing.

This is the second year in a row that I have had concerned constituents who are serving police officers contact me over their dissatisfaction with the offer they have been made for a pay increase.

Police officer numbers are already too low – we have lost 2.4% full time equivalent police officers in the last year and unless the SNP Government are willing to make a fair offer to officers, we are likely to lose even more.

Police officers are being overlooked and undervalued – it is crucial that the SNP start taking policing seriously.