Tribunal rules PSNI owes £30m in outstanding holiday pay
A tribunal has concluded that officers were subject to “unlawful deductions” of holiday pay by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
The judgment on Friday (November 2) ruled that the PSNI had unlawfully not included overtime hours when considering holiday pay, which was in breach of the EU’s Working Time Directive.
The Police Federation Northern Ireland (PFNI) has supported the 2,700 officers involved in the claim, and legal costs will not be deducted from the compensation.
The PFNI said that it had been a complex case which commenced in 2016.
Solicitors McCartan Turkington Breen described the judgement as a “huge win” and its employment partner John McShane added: “The issue in question was whether these groups should have their overtime and other allowances included in the calculation of their normal pay, in order to work out their holiday pay entitlements.
“The chief constable’s failure — and continued failure to date — to pay staff in accordance with the legal requirements resulted in the need for police and civilian staff to incur the cost of pursuing legal proceedings to seek redress for their lawful entitlement to be properly paid whilst on annual leave.”
The PSNI’s legal team, Edwards and Co, is currently preparing a detailed summary of the judgment for each client.
It added that “in the meantime it also awaits the chief constable’s response as to whether there will be an appeal”.
A number of matters remain outstanding with respect to members who have since retired and those who have been promoted to Inspecting ranks.
