Following consultation with members, the three trade unions which make up the Trade Union Side of the Police Staff Council (PSC) have agreed to submit the following pay claim for 2023 to the Employers at our meeting with them on 20 April:
- One-year claim
- An increase of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) of inflation plus 4% on all pay points
- An increase of RPI plus 4% on standby allowance and overnight away from home allowance
- A guarantee that no pay points will fall below the Joseph Rowntree real living wage during the 2023/24 pay year
- A variable increase in the value of pay points 8 – 19 to make each incremental step worth £500 creating more equal steps up the lower pay points of the PSC pay spine; this adjustment to precede and be in addition to the award of the RPI + 4% salary increase
- An increase in the minimum annual leave entitlement in the PSC Handbook from 24 days on appointment and 29 days after 5 years’ service to 25 days on appointment and 30 days after 5 years’ service
EXPLANATION OF THE CLAIM
The Police Staff Council must take account of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) of Inflation when negotiating annual pay awards for police staff. The latest RPI figure is for February 2023 when RPI stood at 13.8%.
This is the annual rate at which prices have gone up over the last 12 months. Our claim is asking for 4% on top of the 13.8% RPI figure because police staff salaries have lost so much buying power over the last 10 years. So, our claim is for a 17.8% pay increase on basic pay and on the standby and overnight allowances.
In addition to this increase in pay, we want to continue to tackle low pay in policing. So, our claim asks that no member of police staff earns less than the Joseph Rowntree real living wage which currently stands at £10.90/hour. And we want the lowest pay points in the Police Staff Council pay spine rationalised to create equal steps between each pay point.
An additional day on the minimum annual leave entitlement would recognise the need for police staff to have adequate holiday for relaxation and enjoyment at a time when police staff jobs are again under threat and workloads are rising.
NEGOTIATING TIMETABLE
The trade unions aim to submit the formal written pay claim to the Employers during the week starting 24 April. The Employers will then consult over the claim with Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
After the Employers have consulted, it is expected that negotiations on the pay claim will get underway during the summer.
More information on the pay claim and the negotiations will follow.
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