Reproduced below is a
further update from our General Secretary.
"PAY AND CONDITIONS NEGOTIATIONS
In the PNB Bulletin of
September 2001, (JBB Bulletin 2/2001), I updated you on our long-standing pay
claim and the negotiations within the PNB Joint Working Party. I explained that there had been no movement
since June 2001 because the Official Side was concerned that they might incur
additional costs through the negotiations and then further additional costs
through the Police Reform Programme in England and Wales. At long last, the
Home Office has produced a paper which will kick-start the negotiations again. I have reproduced that paper in full
below.
You will see that there is
very little detail in the paper but in the areas it covers in general terms you
will recognise many important issues including pay; overtime; allowances;
regulations and pensions. These are all 'negotiable issues' within the remit of
the PNB which is now a cross border public body. Essentially this means that
regardless of the fact that these proposals have arisen from the Home Office,
they equally affect police officers in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In the section entitled
'Other Issues', comment is made on Grievance Procedures, National Recruitment
Standards and Occupational Health. These are non-negotiable issues and fall
under the remit of the Police Advisory Board for Scotland. As yet, there has been no indication from
the Scottish Executive that these issues will be raised in Scotland, but I
expect that they will be.
It is planned that the Home
Office will produce a more detailed set of proposals and the Official Side will
pass this to us by the middle of November. The Home Office expects the PNB to
" reach agreement in principle" by the end of the year. It remains to
be seen how realistic this expectation is within the time scale.
The paper raises more
questions than answers but I felt it was important to keep you up to date with
developments. I will issue another PNB Bulletin when firm proposals are made.
The Home Office Paper in
full reads:
'Outcomes from the
PNB
The aim of the reform
programme is to put in place the skills, resources and systems the Police
Service needs to make it as effective as possible in reducing crime, the fear
of crime and increasing public confidence.
The need for both is reinforced by the recent terrorist attacks in the
USA.
A modern Police Service
demands modern management and personnel practices if it is to get the best from
the people within it and deliver the best service to the public. Greater flexibility is needed in deployment
if forces are to respond effectively to the demands made on them. Police officers need to be encouraged and
enabled to develop their skills and experience and to perform to the highest
possible standards. They need to be
rewarded fairly for the work they do and the responsibilities they carry.
To achieve this the current
arrangements for deploying and remunerating officers need to be reviewed and
modernised. Additional resources may be
needed to achieve these objectives. The
Government is prepared to invest in the Service to meet the challenge of
reform. The Home Secretary will press
the case in the 2002 Spending Review for the ability to secure a modern,
effective Police Service which has accepted the need for change.
Current
pay system
We are seeking reforms to
the pay system of the police service, and to the current system of regulations,
that will together:
- provide a fairer and better system of remuneration for police
officers;
- offer appropriate rewards
for officers undertaking priority, difficult or demanding
duties; and
- offer police service
management greater flexibility in deploying officers and investing in priority
areas of police work
Our primary aim is to make
the best use of the skills and time of police officers and of the resources
currently devoted to the police service.
To this end, we would like the PNB to explore and agree the best ways of
achieving the following aims.
To
increase the rewards available to experienced professional officers
The Home Secretary would
like the PNB to explore and agree the possibility of opening up an additional
incremental point to those officers currently at the top of the pay scale,
subject to demonstrating a high level of professional competence.
To
achieve greater flexibility and targeted rewards into the pay system
We want to keep the current
mechanism for deciding the annual police pay award. However, we would like the PNB to explore and agree reforms to
the pay system that would enable some posts-those which are recognised as
particularly demanding, hard to fill, or exercising particular responsibilities
or work patterns - to receive a higher level of pay. The PNB should explore the best national framework that would
achieve a consistent approach but allowing local flexibility. Given the need to maintain a flexible
system, we do not believe that regulations are the best way of governing such a
system.
To allow
more flexible deployment of officers
We would like the PNB to
explore and agree ways of reforming both the current system of overtime pay,
rest day and holiday allowances, and the regulations governing shift
arrangement and duty rostering to allow management greater flexibility and to
reduce the immediate costs and inflexibility of changing duty
requirements. We believe that savings
achieved in this way should be reinvested fully in the pay system and ask the
PNB to advise on the best ways of doing so.
Until the changes are made, the existing arrangements would continue,
and the effect of any changes agreed by the PNB and approved by the Home
Secretary would have to be considered in the context of the overall package.
To allow
more flexible working patterns and to encourage recruitment
We would like the PNB to
explore and agree changes to the current regulations to allow a further
extension of part-time working. We
would like the PNB to explore changes to the pay system to enable older
recruits to be assimilated higher on the scale or otherwise fast-tracked where
appropriate.
To
rationalise the system of allowances
We believe there is a case
for changing the existing system by removing anachronistic allowances and
moving other allowances onto a reimbursement basis. We would like the PNB to explore and agree the potential for
doing so. We do not propose changing
the current structure of regional allowances or housing allowances.
To
simplify the system of regulations and determinations
We would like the PNB to
explore and agree the potential for moving a substantial proportion of the
existing system governing conditions of service out of complex regulations and
into simpler administrative documents, in the way we have already done for
pay. We believe that this would provide
greater flexibility in modernising conditions of service whilst safeguarding
the position of officers.
Review
of ill-health retirements
We wish to see a reduction
in the levels of ill-health retirements across the police service. We would like PNB to explore and agree ways
to deliver a fair, more consistent approach to managing officers suffering from
sickness and injury, either back to duty or into retirement with an ill-health
pension. We believe there needs to be a
coherent set of personnel practices in forces and greater consistency in
decision making between forces on whether ill-health retirement is the correct
option. We would like the PNB to
explore how appeals against decisions taken by forces can be dealt with in a
fair and consistent manner.
Flexibility
to stay beyond 30 years
We would like the PNB to
explore and agree flexible arrangements that give managers in the police
service the scope to retain officers who are entitled to retire with maximum
pension benefits where they wish to do so.
Transition
to the new system
We would like PNB to
explore and agree how the transition to a new system could
best be managed, bearing in
mind the position of those officers whose pattern of remuneration would change.
Timescale
The Home Secretary regards
these matters as of serious national importance to the police service. He is looking to the PNB to reach agreement
in principle on the key elements of the reform package by the end of December
2001.
Process
Home Office officials will
make proposals as to how the above outcomes could be achieved. It will of course be open to other parties
in the PNB to table alternative means of achieving these ends.
OTHER
ISSUES
Grievance
procedures
We would like to remove
inconsistencies between different forces' grievance procedures; see an
improvement in retention and fewer employment tribunal applications.
National
Recruitment Standards
We want to remove
unnecessary barriers to recruitment; standardise the recruitment and assessment
process and see more collaboration arrangements between forces on recruitment,
assessment and selection.
Occupational
Health
We want to see implemented
a national Occupational Health strategy, agreed with stakeholders; a step
change improvement in sickness management and the promotion of staff welfare
through preventative measures. We would
like to see a reduction in medial retirements and a standardisation of data
collection to enable more accurate and effective monitoring of performance and
identification of
best practice.
HOME OFFICE, OCTOBER 2001'
It is worth reminding you
that while the Home Office have asked the PNB to 'negotiate' the details of its
proposals, in the Constitution of the PNB (which can be seen in full in PNB
Circular 01/9) it explains that the function of the PNB is "…to make
recommendations to the Secretary of State and to Scottish Ministers." They can either accept or reject such
proposals. If the PNB fails to reach agreement, then matters are referred to
conciliation. If an agreement cannot be reached there, the matter proceeds to
arbitration. The Police Arbitration Tribunal consists of three arbitrators
appointed by the Prime Minister and its secretariat is provided by the
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS). Any decision of the
arbitrators will be treated as though it were an agreement of the PNB. In other
words, the decision of the arbitrators is put to the Secretary of State and to
Ministers as a recommendation. The Secretary of State and Scottish Ministers
can either accept or reject the recommendation and it is generally accepted
that rejection will only take place on a matter of 'serious national
importance'. You will see those words mentioned in the Home Office paper under
the heading 'Timescale'.
Douglas J Keil QPM, General
Secretary"
(Your concerns regarding
aspects of the foregoing information are understood and being positively
responded to and it would therefore be greatly appreciated if Members did not
telephone regarding this matter. As
before, any developments or new information will be circulated. JBF)
Compensation for Officers
Recalled from Annual Leave
In addition to the
well-established arrangements for compensating officers recalled from annual
leave, with effect from 4th April 2001, the Police Negotiating Board
agreed the following additional provisions, as per PNB Circular
01/10.
This information has
previously been fully circulated, however, Members are reminded of the new
provisions i.e.
"Where a member of a
police force has been recalled to duty from a period of annual leave for a
period of 1 or 2 days (whether or not in the latter case those days formed a
single period) s/he should be able to elect for 1 day's annual leave and 1
day's pay at double time in lieu of each day for which he was recalled; or
If he was recalled to duty
for 3 or more days (whether or not forming a single period), 1 day's annual
leave and 1 day's pay at double time in lieu of each of the first 2 days for
which he was recalled, and 1 day's annual leave and ½ day's pay at double time
in lieu of each such day for which he was recalled thereafter.
A day's pay to be defined
as 8 hours, or the equivalent in respect of officers working alternative shift
systems or part time."
Additional Public Holiday
Members are reminded that
it has been agreed that Monday 3rd June 2002, should be treated as a
Public Holiday for the "Queen's Jubilee".
Tax Returns
Officers completing tax
returns should note that relief can be obtained for the following subscriptions
to the Scottish Police Federation;
'92 - '93 -
£52.88
'93 - '94 -
£71.80
'94 - '95 -
£81.52
'95 - '96 -
£84.68
'96 - '97 -
£86.28
'97 - '98 -
£88.12
'98 - '99 -
£94.92
'99 - '00 -
£108.50
'00 - '01 -
£120.38
Weekend Breaks
Members can avail
themselves of preferential rates for 'Weekend Breaks' at a variety of Hotel
Chains throughout the UK by purchasing a £10 'Voucher' from the Federation
Office. Details can be obtained by telephoning Uta at the Federation Office,
01463 250381, between 10am and 2pm or by visiting the RCI Website at www.call4bargainbreaks.com.
JOHN B FINNIE, JBB Secretary
30th October 2001
