Angry police officers threaten action over pay offer 'disgrace'

Published on Thursday 6 December 2007 00:55

POLICE officers in Scotland are threatening unprecedented industrial action amid anger over a "disgraceful" pay offer by the government.

Rank-and-file officers are furious after it emerged the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, is preparing to undercut a recommended pay deal.

It is currently a criminal offence for police to go on strike. But The Scotsman has learned officers are now threatening other forms of action.

In a leaked letter published yesterday, Ms Smith said she planned to announce today that she "accepts" the 2.5 per cent award for 2008 from the Police Arbitration Tribunal, but will refuse to honour the recommendation that it should be back-dated to cover the three-month period of negotiations.

The effect, the letter to Chancellor Alistair Darling spelled out, "will produce a headline settlement [of] 1.9 per cent".

Police pay in Scotland is decided by the Scottish Government, and Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, is expected to make an announcement today or tomorrow. But it will be hard to appease officers on the brink of revolt.

Scottish Police Federation members representing 7,500 officers in Strathclyde staged an emergency meeting yesterday. "There is unprecedented hostility towards the government," said branch secretary Raymond Pratt. "If they go on strike they will be sacked, but there are other things they can do. We can stop doing overtime. Firearms officers could, potentially, hand in their firearms cards."

Jackie Muller, secretary of the Lothian and Borders branch, added: "The officers feel angry and betrayed." Joe Grant, SPF general secretary, said: "These negotiations have been a complete farce."

A Scottish Government spokesman said Mr MacAskill was "well aware of the strength of feeling on this issue".

'NO CONFIDENCE' IN MANAGERS

MORE than 90 per cent of staff at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) backed a "no confidence" motion against the management, according to a union ballot.

Officials with Unison said the vote was held after SEPA management stopped negotiating with the union about pay and conditions and "began an attempt to individually pressure staff to accept its unilateral proposals". Strike or legal action is being explored by the union in the event of SEPA failing to resume talks with staff representatives.

SEPA denied withdrawing from collective bargaining. A spokesman said: "SEPA indicated it wished to extend this consultation to all staff and Unison interpreted this as a decision to abandon collective bargaining. SEPA sees no reason why individual and collective consultation processes cannot be run in parallel."