Know Your Rights

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If you are a member of police staff in England and Wales, don’t forget your rights at work. They come from the Police Staff Council Handbook which forms the basis of your contract of employment*.

Your rest days must be notified to you 12 months in advance

Your rest days may only be changed up to 12 months in advance:

a. With 3 months month’s notice or less:

i. With you agreement, or

ii. As a result of an exigency of duty**

b. With 3-12 months notice:

i. Only with your agreement

c. If you move to a totally different shift pattern, with different rest days, following full consultation with your trade union

If you agree to work on a rest day:

a. With less than 5 days notice: you are entitled to overtime*** for each hour worked plus TOIL for every hour worked

b. With more than 5 days notice: you are entitled to overtime or TOIL for every hour worked

c. Where your rest days change as a result of moving to a totally different shift pattern there is no entitlement to compensation.

If you agree to work overtime on a rest day you qualify for the full entitlement set out above

If you are a part timer who works on a rest day you are entitled to overtime without having to work a minimum of 37 hours that week

Your TOIL must be paid up by the force in the next available payroll if you are not able to take it within 3 months of the date that it was accrued

Your start/finish times can only be changed at less than 3 months notice under the following circumstances:

a. With your agreement

b. As a result of a collective agreement with your trade union

c. As a result of an exigency of duty*

d. When moving to a totally different shift pattern, which has been the subject of full consultation with your trade union

You may only be stood down from a published shift:

a. With your agreement

b. As a result of a collective agreement with your trade union

NOTES:

*The Police Staff Council Handbook for England and Wales is incorporated into your contract of employment unless a local agreement exists to the contrary. Police Staff Council Joint Circular 111 (21 February 2021) refers.

** An exigency of duty is defined as: Situations of exceptional organisational demand, where a pressing staff requirement arises which could not be reasonably anticipated and which necessitates a change of working pattern, e.g. unforeseen public order situations, major disasters, extraordinary levels of sickness and other non-planned events which impact on levels of necessary staffing to maintain public safety.

Repeating events where policing demand can be foreseen in advance, such as New Year’s Eve, Halloween, Bonfire Night etc, or large scale events and religious festivals which are known about well in advance do not qualify as exigencies of duty.

*** Overtime:

  • Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm = basic pay
  • Monday to Friday 7pm to 7am = time and a half
  • Saturday                                      = time and a half
  • Sunday/Bank Holiday:              = double time