KENT POLICE FEDREATION
MEDIA RELEASE
3 Year Pay Deals for Public Sector Workers -
Yet Another Slap in the Face for Police Officers.
Gordon Brown has announced that public sector workers (including police officers) will be subject to 3 year pay deals to allow for better economic planning.
Ian Pointon, Chairman of Kent Police Federation says,
"We are still in dispute with the government over last year's pay rise and the Home Secretary's shameful and unprecedented decision not to abide by the arbitration and backdate the award to 1st September 2007."
He continues,
"10 weeks ago, just prior to the arbitration, both sides of the Police Negotiating Board (staff and employers) proposed such a multi year settlement to avoid arbitration. The Home Office flatly rejected it then. Now the government wants such settlements! It is mind boggling. I ask myself is this further evidence of the bad faith they have displayed in the negotiating process or are they completely incompetent? It begs the question do they know what they are doing?"
He continues,
"In reality I don't think officers will trust the government to honour a 3 year pay deal when they won't honour last year's - would you? Will it be a negotiated deal or will it be imposed by the government to comply with their hogwash spin policy of controlling inflation? I say hogwash because the Bank of England doesn't agree with them."
He concludes,
"If the government is serious about pay deals then it needs to restore some trust with police officers. They must stick to binding arbitration; they must stick to the deal."
Media release ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
Kent Police Federation represents officers from constables, sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors.
The Police Negotiating Board is the national forum for negotiating police officers' terms and conditions.
Ian Pointon can be contacted on 10622 652253
