POLICE Scotland is at the centre of claims it risks breaching workers' rights with a significant number of officers and staff due holidays and days off in lieu for working overtime.
Officers will be owed a cumulative 12,500 days annual leave by the end of the year, while staff will be waiting for 3,750 days, a report to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) reveals.
There is also over 11,400 days of outstanding time off in lieu (TOIL), the majority of which dates back to 2014 when a boom in overtime claims from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow risked making the single force's existing financial troubles even worse.
Officers can swap lieu days for cash after 90 days but by November 2014 the bill would have been £6.4 million.
So a review board banned the cash swaps on overtime accrued before April 2015 but pledged to clear the backlog by offering days off to affected offiers within two years.
But that has not happened and there are still 7,800 days outstanding from before April 2015 which cannot be bought and have not been given off, the SPA has been told.
Calum Steele, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said the force risks breaching workers rights.
“There is a significant number of rest days that are due,” he said.
“That is problematic and risks also some potential to be in contravention of working time regulations, in terms of the requirement to provide adequate rest within statutory reference periods.
“But more fundamentally, of course, it is an indication that people are working longer and more sustained period of time without rest or recuperation.”
He added: “In terms of overtime, there continues to be instances where police officers are expected to work overtime for TOIL but then suffer difficulties in being able to take that time off because of an inadequacy of resources, which is the reason for working the overtime in the first place.”
Police Scotland is still struggling to balance the books amid tough police reform targets, but it is making some progress in reducing its deficit which currently sits £36.6 million.
Mr Steele said: “Officers are encouraged to work overtime for TOIL because they are told there is not enough money to pay it, but some are very much of the view that they would prefer to get payment for that TOIL rather than the time off.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “The amount of days owed works out at well under two days per officer.
“When an officer is required to work on a rest day it is re-rostered if officers are given more than 15 days’ notice.
“If less than 15 days, then officers up to and including the rank of sergeant are entitled to claim overtime in the form of time off in lieu or payment.
“This is in line with police regulations, the re-rostering of rest days is a local operational policing decision.”
An SPA spokesman said: “The SPA’s Finance Committee receives quarterly updates on the management of TOIL and annual leave balances providing necessary assurance of the financial implications and work underway to manage these balances.
“At the most recent Finance Committee members raised concerns with Police Scotland about the potential impact on officers and staff and requested additional monitoring to be reported to the SPA’s People Committee.”
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