A senior member of the Scottish Police Federation insists officers are being ‘treated with contempt’ by the Scottish Government and chief constable over a pay deal.
David Kennedy, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, represents more than 16,500 officers and confirmed they are now looking at their next course of action in its campaign to guarantee members receive the pay rise they have been asking for.
A claim for a 5.7 percent increase for the year 2024/25 was submitted by the ‘staff side’ of the deal in May but there has been no formal officer made to them yet by the ‘official side’ - which is made up of Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish Government – five months on.
Speaking to justice magazine 1919, published today, Mr Kennedy said: “The Chief Constable, the SPA and the Scottish Government have let the service down.
“We are the backbone of the public sector. We pick up everything else that others don’t do, and we continue to do so.
“What is keeping the police service afloat isn’t policy or procedure. What’s keeping it afloat are the people who work for the service – the cops – yet they’re being treated with total contempt.
“We demand to be treated fairly, and to be treated with the respect that our members who are hard-working police officers deserve.
“We will now be looking at what we can legally do within the regulations and that will be the next course of action that we will take.”
The Scottish Government say the deal is being progressed in the normal practice and reminded Mr Kennedy that he had previously suggested it was moving in the right manner.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The pay claim for police officers is being progressed through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, as is normal practice. We note that Mr Kennedy said [in September] that the claim is progressing in a positive manner.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Police Authority said: “The authority and Police Scotland are working hard, through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, to agree an affordable pay award for Scotland’s officers. Discussions remain ongoing.”
Police officers can’t go on strike but they are able to withdraw ‘goodwill’ which involves measures including refusing to work late shifts or take on extra, unpaid responsibilities.
A seven percent wage rise was agreed last year following a lengthy dispute, which came after an initial claim of 8.5 percent was repeatedly rejected.
As well as the pay deal, it was agreed by both sides that an independent review into police officer pay and benefits to ‘identify mechanisms to ensure appropriate wage growth within policing going forward from 2025/26’.
The Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde was awarded that contract earlier this year by the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, which is the public body that negotiates the pay, terms and conditions of police officers in Scotland.
The first element of this research relates to wage growth from 2025/26 onwards, while the second relates to current pay and benefits and will look at the ‘unique nature’ of the role of a police officer in society.
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It's the latest time that Police Scotland have come under fire in recent days and weeks. The chief constable of Police Scotland, Jo Farrell, was criticised by the family of murdered banker Alistair Wilson after she said she had no plans to meet with them.
The murder has been unsolved for 20 years but Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC announced she has ordered a complete reinvestigation of the case but the chief constable wasn’t willing to meet with them.
An independent review of Police Scotland also recently found sexist and misogynist attitudes are still ‘pervasive’ within the force.
The three-year probe found 'deeply embedded outdated attitudes that contribute to a hostile environment towards women within the service, and likely affect policing in wider society'.
These were often being 'expressed in more overt or covert ways at different times and in different contexts'.
The Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Human Rights Independent Review Group (IRG), was established in the wake of a damning report looking at police complaints by Lady Elish Angiolini.
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