BULLETIN NO 05/01 - 12/12/01
Reproduced below is the latest update from our General
Secretary, Douglas Keil on the Official Side's Proposals
This matter was discussed at last week's Branch Board
Meeting at which time Representatives endorsed my early response to the General
Secretary, published in Bulletin 4/2001.
The Meeting also agreed that I write to MPs, MSPs, Councillors and other
decision-makers, outlining your understandable concerns at this attack on your
terms and conditions.
You'll read that the General Secretary envisages an
active role for the Membership in defending these terms and conditions, a view
I fully support.
I'm grateful to those who have taken the time to write
and E-mail their concerns and indicate their support for actions to date.
I'd appreciate if Members could copy any
correspondence they send to the Home Office, MPs or MSPs etc, along with any
replies received, to me at the Federation Office, 19 Union Street, Inverness,
IV1 1PP.
Given the ridiculously short time-scale imposed by the
Home Secretary, this has become a fast-moving issue, however, I will endeavour
to ensure that you receive the maximum information at the earliest possible
opportunity.
Previous Bulletins are on our web-site at www.northernpolicefederation.com
John B Finnie, JBB Secretary,
12th December 2001
"HOME OFFICE WHITE
PAPER ON REFORM - POLICE PAY AND CONDITIONS
- What's Happening and How You Can Get Involved
In the PNB Bulletins of
September, October and November, I updated you on the progress of our pay and
conditions negotiations. In the November PNB Bulletin I reproduced in full a
fairly detailed set of proposals from the Official Side of the PNB which had
been developed from a Home Office "Outcomes Paper."
In this Bulletin, I want to
draw your attention to the Home Office's announcement of the White Paper and
one or two assertions made about the pay and conditions negotiations. I want to
update you on the negotiations and, importantly, explain how you can
become directly involved in the process.
The White Paper Announcement and how it affects
Scotland
On Wednesday 5th
December, David Blunkett MP, Home Secretary, announced a White Paper entitled,
"Policing a New Century: A Blueprint for Reform". The White Paper
described the proposals as applying to England and largely to Wales. As you
know, policing in Scotland is a devolved issue with most policing issues the
responsibility of the Scottish Parliament, but the White Paper, in one section,
deals with police pay and conditions which are of course still dealt with at a
UK level. While Scottish Ministers have
the final say on police pay and conditions for Scottish officers, the Home
Secretary's remarks and the section of the White Paper on pay and conditions do
in fact affect you.
The Non-Pay and Conditions
Aspects of Police Reform
The other issues in the
White Paper, that is the non-pay and conditions issues such as community
support officers, street wardens and a standards unit do not affect us
directly. All I can say about these
issues is that there is no indication that they are on the Scottish Agenda
meantime. There is, as you know, a Scottish police reform agenda that reflects
the facts and circumstances of policing from a purely Scottish perspective. The
great strength of the police service in Scotland is that it works in
partnership with the public, local authorities and a wide range of other
agencies. This approach has resulted in
high levels of public satisfaction, reduced levels of reported crime and
increased detection rates. I have no doubt that the proposals for England and
Wales will be examined carefully in Scotland to see if there is anything that
we can learn, but in this more general respect, Scotland will undoubtedly
follow its own path.
Plans for Your Pay,
Conditions and Working Arrangements
When announcing the White
Paper, Mr. Blunkett said:
"…there must be a
dramatic modernisation of working practices.
Through the police negotiating board, we are seeking consensus on a
programme of change and reform. We wish
to ensure that those at the sharp end of public service are rewarded for the
difficult job that they do. We are looking to enhance the status and
rewards (my emphasis) for those doing the most dangerous, difficult, or
unsociable jobs. We want to see more flexible working arrangements and an end
to restrictive regulations."
However, if you read my PNB
Bulletin of November 2001, you will have noted that amongst the proposals from
the Official Side, supposedly to enhance status and rewards were:
·
Eradicating, phasing out,
or alteration to allowances
·
Increasing the length of
the working week from 40 to 42.5 hours
·
Eradicating enhanced rates
for working overtime and consideration of rates for working on
rest days and public holidays
·
Inferior arrangements relating
to ill-health pensions
You will also have noted,
on page 4 of that document, the statement which reads, "…implementation
needs to be handled so as to minimise reductions in the earnings of
individuals."
You may also have seen some
of the press coverage over the first weekend in December or more recently which
reported that Mr. Blunkett would like to pay "outstanding
officers" working in "particularly difficult areas"
special rewards or bonuses. Neither term has been defined. In the Official Side's
document it deals with 'Special Priority Posts' and 'Bonuses'. There is no
doubt that if such payments were finally agreed by the PNB and if
the Home Office could persuade the Treasury to guarantee money to pay for them,
some of our colleagues might receive special payment or bonuses
from 2003/4. But in fact these suggestions of new or extra payments for some
officers have only provided the gloss to a package which would seriously
damage police pay and conditions for all officers. Even these 'gloss'
elements of the package are viewed with concern by many who feel they would
focus attention on individual achievement and rewards and threaten the high
level of team-work and co-operation upon which most successful policing
depends. Despite the "spin", I am sure that any police officer who
reads the Official Side's proposals for pay and conditions will recognise that
there implementation would damage individual earnings and have a negative
impact on police service delivery.
The Negotiations
The Official Side's paper
has been described as a basis for negotiation but I do not see it as a basis
for agreement. Negotiations are ongoing and the Staff Side are determined to
achieve the best possible deal for all police officers, but the timescale set
by the Home Secretary - the end of this year - is ridiculously short. As you
will have seen from the above information, the 'agenda' is incredibly
difficult. Frankly, I am all but
totally convinced that the Home Secretary's mind is already made up and
regardless of what might be negotiated, he is determined to legislate to make
the changes he wants. Scottish Ministers will have to have their say but it is
too early to anticipate what their view might be.
What WE Should Do
Now
The massive Government
majority almost guarantees that the Home Secretary will eventually have his way
and if you heard the debate immediately after the announcement of the White
Paper you will have heard nothing by way of support for us. But that does not
mean we should lie down and accept defeat. Far from it, the Federations will be
active over the coming weeks and months - and we need your help. We will be
ensuring that all politicians hear the truth about police pay, conditions and
working practices. They will expect
that of us, but they also need to hear from you.
Do you think that your pay
and allowances, the length of your working week, or your overtime rates are perks?
Do you think that the
annual roster, the regular changes made to it and the compensation you receive
for the changes (when you get any compensation at all) amounts to an inflexible
working regime?
The Home Office is asking
for the views of police officers in England and Wales on police reform. Despite
the fact that Scottish officers are affected as far as pay and conditions are
concerned, we have not been asked for our views. However, if you want to, you
can write to them (The Police Reform and Bill Unit, Home Office, 50 Queen
Anne's Gate, London, SW1H 9AT) or contact their web-site on "www.policereform.gov.uk"
At this stage, you might
also wish to write to your MP - the address is House of Commons, London, SW1A
0AA. The White Paper is a publication of the Westminster Parliament and the
Police Reform Bill will be published in the early part of next year. I am sure
that your MP would like to hear the views of his or her police officer
constituents on the parts of the White Paper that affect Scotland. At some
stage in the future, the Scottish Parliament will have to become involved, but
I will be contacting you again about that.
Douglas J Keil QPM
General Secretary"
