Staffordshire Police Federation chair Phil Jones says it is absolutely disgusting that MPs will receive a 2.7 per cent pay rise from next month.
But he says what makes it even more abhorrent is the fact that the wage increase, which will see MPs’ pay go up by £2,212 to £84,144, has been awarded for “dramatically increased” duties last year.
“It is bad enough that MPs are being given a pay rise at all, particularly given that police officers were awarded a zero per cent pay rise last year, but what really makes it so much worse is that it is being awarded because of what is seen as a change in their duties last year,” says Phil.
“I find it hard to believe that can be justified. Throughout the pandemic, police officers were on the frontline, helping ensure people observed the Government guidelines, supporting measures to protect the NHS and putting their own health and safety on the line while doing so.
“In addition to their usual work, serving and protecting their communities, fighting and preventing crime and keeping order, they stepped up to the mark to carry out duties that they could never have expected to take on.
“While they were doing this, they were assaulted, they were spat and coughed over by people claiming to have the virus. They took the brunt of the public’s frustrations and also faced intense media scrutiny – condemned for being too tough on people and also for being too lenient.
“For all that they did in the nation’s response to the pandemic, they were given a pay freeze. We were told this was because the economy and public finances could not afford an increase in pay for police officers.
“But yet the economy can afford a pay rise for MPs. This is another kick in the teeth as my members who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic to keep the public safe. Sadly, it is also another example of how police officers are viewed by Government.”
Phil highlighted the findings of the Federation’s pay and morale survey, published last month, which revealed that 11 per cent of Staffordshire officers never, or almost never, had enough money to cover their monthly essentials and 77 per cent felt worse off than they did five years ago.
A total of 93 per cent said they did not feel they were fairly paid for the stresses and strains of the job and the same percentage reported low Force morale, with 96 per cent blaming that on how the police are treated by Government.
The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), with the Chief Police Officers’ Staff Association (CPOSA) and the Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA), has filed an application for Judicial Review calling for a truly independent pay mechanism for police officer pay.
PFEW national vice-chair Ché Donald said: “The common theme with this Government is it does not value its police service, it does not recognise the financial hardships police officers are facing daily and has suppressed police pay to the point that there is very little difference between the national living wage and the hourly wage of a new starter.
“The current pay mechanism is just a white elephant, where Government ultimately decides what police officers cannot receive by way of fair remuneration. Our repeated attempts to address this fairly have been met with silence, after all, why would the Government want to change a system designed by them, run by them and with the final decision resting with them.
“This leaves us with no other alternative but to let someone else decide the merits of fairness, the judiciary.”
He added: “As police officers, we are not being unreasonable in asking for a pay mechanism that acts independently. As public servants, MPs are happy to accept the recommendation of their own independent pay body as binding, all we ask is that they do the same with ours, or perhaps extend the remit of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).”
