Failure To Honour Police Pay Is Big Mistake

On the day that thousands of police officers are planning to march and rally in Westminster over pay, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has today (Wednesday) sent a message of support from the unions to Police Federation Chair, Jan Berry.

The TUC letter says that the Government made ‘a disastrous mistake’ when it decided to ignore the independent Police Arbitration Tribunal recommendation of a 2.5 per cent pay award last year. Other workers in the public sector – including health workers and prison officers – were subject to a similar staging of their pay in 2007

Wishing the Police Federation well on its day of action, Brendan Barber calls for a new approach from the Government over public sector pay, saying that “all public servants deserve proper reward and recognition for the vital jobs they perform….”

The text of the letter appears below:

Dear Jan
I am writing with a message of solidarity and support for the Federation and all of your members in your campaign for pay justice. All public servants deserve proper reward and recognition for the vital jobs they perform and the Government has made a disastrous mistake in refusing to honour, in full, the decisions of the Police Arbitration Tribunal.

The Government is plain wrong in seeking to impose across the public services below inflation pay rises, undermining in the process the integrity of the independent pay determination machinery that has contributed so much to industrial relations stability.
Other public service workers and their unions are, like you, determined to press Government for a new approach. Today your members are showing their resolute determination to win fairness.

All good wishes in your campaign.

Yours sincerely
Brendan Barber, General Secretary TUC