Police Scotland are threatening to withdraw ‘goodwill’ which would see them refuse to work overtime shifts in a dispute about pay.
Officers are calling for an 8.5 per cent rise in their wages after arguing that they are falling behind other public service employees.
Police employees are unable to take any industrial action and to strike over pay but they have stated that they would look at refusing to work overtime shifts. The Scottish Police Federation has alleged that officer pay and their working conditions have been worsening for a number of years, the Daily Record reports.
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The removal of ‘goodwill’ would see the force’s ability to maintain levels of service severely reduced however they have said that this move has only been considered as a last resort.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the federation, which represents the vast majority of Scotland’s 16,600 officers, said: “There is absolutely a strong prospect of officers working to rule, or, as we prefer to say, to regulations.
“We have to try to make sure we maintain standards in line with other public servants, and in the last 16 years or so we have lost a lot of ground. In a crisis, we are the first port of call, but we have not been treated as we deserved in recent years.”
He added police pay had fallen 15 per cent behind inflation since 2006 when it stopped being linked to an average index.
Kennedy said: “The public understandably expects high standards from police officers, but it now feels as though we’re being taken for granted.
“Our pay and conditions have been eroded badly since 2006.
“We wish all other public servants well in securing favourable pay and conditions, but we cannot ignore the fact that police pay has fallen behind.
“We have a complex, difficult, dangerous and stressful job. We have the power of arrest and authority to use force.
“We are at serious risk of assault and injury.
“These special features, taken with many others, should be compensated in pay.
“This was recognised by an uplift of around 10 per cent on police pay but this has been completely eroded since 2006 and teachers now have a higher starting salary and reach £48,000 without promotion in half the time of a constable.
“It is not lost on us and it will be well known to the people negotiating with us that we have no right to strike, and the public servants who have fared relatively well recently have done so by striking and threatening to take industrial action.
“We cannot join a trade union or affiliate with other pressure groups. We have no right to take other forms of industrial action or take an active part in politics.
“We have restrictions on our private lives and are accountable on and off duty.
“We can be required to be available for duty 24/7/365 and have irregular working patterns.
“We work a 40-hour week – 10 per cent over the average.
“We want to avoid the acrimony surrounding police pay in 2022 when many officers withdrew goodwill and there was a general atmosphere of disappointment, anger and mistrust.
“But many more officers are willing to support the measure this time.
“We are only asking in monetary terms for the same increases as those given to the fire service, teachers and nurses.”
Scotland’s new chief constable, Jo Farrell, steps into Sir Iain Livingstone’s shoes on August 10 and her first task is likely to be to manage the pay dispute. Scots officers can have a serious impact on day-to-day policing by working precisely to their contracts.
This would mean not going to work early to prepare for their shifts, not going out of their way before start times to transport equipment or vehicles, and not doing paperwork beyond the end of their shifts. The fire service and teachers, from a 2021-22 baseline, were awarded 12.35 per cent and nurses 14.49 per cent.
The federation argues that the 8.5 per cent rise they seek this year is simply to bring them into line with other public sector workers. It also wants an agreement that police pay be linked to an average pay index from April 1, 2024.
In April 2022, police officers started on £28,074, and teachers on £30,081.
After probationary periods, teachers can expect to be earning around £48,000 after five years without being promoted. A constable with 11 years’ service would be on £45,000.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Policing is and will continue to be a priority. We are grateful to our police officers and staff who provide a vital service every day to ensure we continue to have a safe, protected, and resilient Scotland. Pay has been negotiated for many years through the Police Negotiating Board. The PNB process is ongoing in relation to pay for 2023-24.”
The Scottish Police Authority, which oversees Police Scotland for the Scottish Government, said it is working to reach an agreement.
An SPA spokesperson said: “Negotiations are ongoing and we remain committed to working with all sides to seek to reach an agreement.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Discussions with relevant staff associations are continuing.”
