Delay in police pay rise can be ended with ‘stroke of the pen’
The return of a devolved government in Northern Ireland should end the five-month delayed pay rise for police officers, the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI) claims.
The 2.5 per cent pay rise recommended by the Independent Pay Review Body in June last year, and due to have been implemented in September, has still not been approved due to the lack of a minister to approve the award.
The absence of a devolved administration meant that Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers faced eight and seven-month delays in receiving their pay rises in 2017 and 2018 respectively. However, following the historic return of the Northern Ireland Assembly on Friday (January 10) and the appointment of Naomi Long MLA as the Justice Minister, the PFNI says delays should be ended swiftly.
PFNI Chair, Mark Lindsay, said: “I have written to the Minister asking her to get this matter resolved without delay. In fact, we are about to enter discussions on a new pay round for 20/21 while 19/20 remains outstanding and that is unacceptable.
“This situation can be remedied at a stroke of the pen and I would ask the new Minister to show that the restoration of devolved institutions actually counts for something with prompt and decisive action.
“We have congratulated Ms Long on her appointment and are looking forward to a productive engagement across a wide range of policing matters including PSNI resources, recruitment, legacy, the function of the Police Ombudsman’s office and criminal justice issues that impact on our officers.”
