Police staff to strike next Monday over pay

The Unison union said the initial 24-hour strike is in support of a campaign to re-open talks to improve the one per cent pay offer for 2014 currently on the table.

This will be followed by four weeks of action short of strike action, from Monday, January 5, to Sunday, February 1, in the form of a ban on voluntary overtime.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Police staff have been hit hard by the cost of living crisis. Since 2010, two years of pay freeze and a below inflation pay deal last year has seen the value of their pay decline by 13%.

“It is rare for police staff to take industrial action and the strike is a clear sign that they’ve had enough. For many of our members it will be the first time they have ever taken industrial action over pay. The last time police members went on strike in relation to pay was 25 years ago in 1989.

“Police staff have had a raw deal. All we’re asking for is fair pay. Our members’ contribution to community safety is immense and it needs to be reflected in their pay.

“Earlier this year, we asked for a 3%, or £500, increase (whichever is the greater) on police staff pay points. The police employers responded with another 1% offer which is just not acceptable.

“We are calling on the police employers to return to the negotiating table to improve the current pay offer in order to stop this dispute from escalating.”

Unison represents some 30,000 police staff in England and Wales. It will be the first pay strike by police civilian workers for 25 years.