Police union warns right to strike could be challenged without fair pay deal
The region's police union secretary has called for a fair pay deal and says the time may have come for officers to seek a law change that would allow them to strike.
It comes after the Government recommended a 3.5 per cent pay deal for public sector workers – currently being considered by independent pay review bodies.
West Mercia Police Federation secretary Pete Nightingale said members had endured real-terms pay cuts for more than a decade and that the next award should take into account the unique role police officers play in society – along with the fact they are barred from taking industrial action.
But he suggested the time might have come for officers to consider seeking a law change that would enable them to go on strike without fear of prosecution.
Mr Nightingale said: “Doctors, nurses, paramedics and teachers are all in the middle of industrial disputes on a scale we have not seen in the public sector for many years.
“Years of cuts and underfunding have led to workers across the board feeling taken for granted and undervalued and this has now come to a head with an unprecedented series of strikes.
“The grievances of our public sector colleagues are very much in line with our own but of course police officers are forbidden by law to go on strike or work to rule and that is where our situation becomes very different from theirs.
“And for that reason the Police Federation is calling on the Government to acknowledge the unique position police officers hold in society, recognise they have taken an oath as servants of the Crown and make sure they are treated fairly when it comes to pay and conditions.”
The legal bar on police officers taking industrial action dates back more than a century to the end of the First World War.
The Police Act of 1919 founded the Police Federation of England and Wales and saw the creation of the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) and the Police Arbitration Tribunal (PAT).
The act was brought about by the government of the day in response to a strike by police officers over pay and working hours.
Mr Nightingale said that without an acceptable offer over pay, officers could be pushed into seeking the right to strike.
He said: "We cannot continue to be treated like this and fighting for the right to strike may be the only option left to us.”
West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion, has said that officers deserve a pay rise – but that it is right they are banned from going on strike.
He said: “Police officers do an amazing job and it’s right they will be getting a pay increase.
“In 2022/23 police officers received a five per cent pay increase, the Government is seeking to increase pay even further by 3.5 per cent over 2023/24.
“The Government’s recommendations will now be considered, rightly, by the independent police remuneration review body. Public sector pay is set by government, outside the control of police and crime commissioners and police forces."
He added: “Police officers are the thin blue line between the communities they work so hard to protect and lawlessness. It’s right that they are legally banned from striking and it’s important to remember the financial pressures the country is facing.
“Inflation remains near a 40-year high. It is therefore essential that during this challenging fiscal and economic climate, pay remains fair, which recognises the vital importance of the police, but affordable and minimises inflationary pressures and managing the country’s debt.”
