Scottish police officer pay deal finally agreed after ‘frustrating’ negotiations
A seven per cent increase in pay and allowances has been agreed for all police officers in Scotland, which will be backdated to April 1, 2023.
It follows what the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) described as “frustrating” pay negotiations that culminated in its ‘No Strike – Fair Pay’ campaign after failing to get a response to a claim submitted earlier this year.
The deal is a cumulative increase of 12.25 per cent since 2022, which the SPF said mirrors the wage growth in the fire service and teaching profession, which had been its key demand.
The agreement also includes a commitment to commission an independent review to look at police officer pay and benefits, recognising the “unique role of police officers” and identifying mechanisms to ensure appropriate wage growth within policing going forward from 2025/26.
Talks had stalled in recent weeks, with officers taking part in a protest in a bid to get the Scottish government to “wake up” to their “fair and reasonable” claim.
SPF general secretary David Kennedy said a meeting with the Official Side – which includes representatives of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), Police Scotland and Scottish ministers – finally broke the impasse this week.
Mr Kennedy said: “I appreciate this year’s negotiations have been frustrating and have been compounded by the real cost of living pressures facing members.
“Whilst this agreement will not address all of those pressures, it is our hope that it will in some way mitigate them”.
The agreement was reached following “extensive dialogue and negotiation” through the Police Negotiating Board, which includes representatives from the SPA, Police Scotland, the Scottish government, the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, the SPF and the Scottish Chief Police Officers Staff Association.
Deputy Chief Constable Designate Fiona Taylor QPM said: “I am extremely grateful to our officers for their professionalism, commitment to keeping people safe and the goodwill they demonstrate every day.
“Recognising and rewarding the hard work of officers is vital and I thank everyone who has contributed to reaching this agreement.”
Martyn Evans, chair of the SPA, added: “This is a challenging financial climate for policing and difficult choices are being taken to ensure we stay within the budget.
“Despite this, I am pleased we have now reached an agreement which recognises the valuable contribution of our police officers and the unique set of duties and requirements placed upon them. I am grateful to the Staff Side for their constructive dialogue.”
The Staff Side said the process for securing an agreement on pay for this year had been “exceptionally challenging”, and acknowledged that the financial landscape, the pay deals agreed with other organisations and increased interest rates had a bearing on this year’s negotiations.
It added that it welcomed the need to investigate a proper mechanism for wage growth and pay level checks to ensure that police officers are remunerated properly.
Angela Constance, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, said: “I want to thank all those involved for working in good faith to achieve this agreement. Our police officers perform an essential role keeping Scotland’s communities safe and this fair pay deal recognises the hard work and valuable contribution they make daily as well as this government’s commitment to investing in policing.
“Police Scotland is a vital service, which is why, despite difficult financial circumstances due to UK Government austerity, we have increased police funding year-on-year since 2016/17, investing more than £11.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.”
Mr Kennedy added: “Officers are ‘burst’, constant weekends and rest days being cancelled is playing heavily on their families and on their mental health. Response officers are working all day without rest breaks for days on end.
“We will now start our negotiations for next year’s pay deal”.
Negotiations with the trade unions on a pay deal for police staff are nearing a conclusion and Police Scotland said a separate communication will be issued in due course.