Posted on: 3 November 2023

Dear Colleague

Sponsorship of National Black Police Staff Association Conference

GMB recently sponsored the National Black Police Staff Association Conference in Cardiff. We wanted to

• Promote the GMB across the police service
• Showcase a credible and superior alternative to other Unions recognised for Police Staff
• Use it as a campaigning and recruitment opportunity building on previous successes
• Support the NBPA
• Advance our equalities agenda

We held a stall with relevant and appropriate communications and recruitment literature and information about GMB Police Staff with the usual giveaways, provided by the GMB South Wales Police Staff Branch and Wales & South West region. We advised our members and staff of our attendance and the reasons why.

Overall, our attendance was a success with attendees approaching is for information and wanting further contact. We were also able to showcase ourselves to Black Police Staff who were unaware that the GMB represented and give out some posters and literature for Police Staff to take back to their workplaces. Overall, we received positive feedback about our presence there from delegates, organisers and management especially as no other Trade Unions were in attendance.

Election of GMB Police Staff Committee Chair and Deputy Chair

The current term for Chair and Deputy Chair of the GMB Police Staff National Committee will end in December 2023 and elections for the new Chair and Deputy Chair will be taking place at the first National Committee Meeting of 2023. Once elected the new Chair and Deputy Chair will commence in the post with immediate effect for a term of four years.

The role of Chair is to:

Attend all relevant meetings and Chair and lead the business and campaigns of the national committee.

The role of Deputy Chair is to:

Deputise for the Chair with regards the business and campaigns of the national committee, including attendance at meetings

I shall keep you advised of developments

Yours sincerely

George Georgiou

National Officer Public Services Section

Tel 07841 181541, email George.georgiou@gmb.org.uk

Posted on: 26 October 2023

Dear Members,

I can advise that GMB Police Staff have overwhelmingly accepted a 7% pay offer (54% Turnout; 94.5% ACCEPT, 5.5% REJECT) and employers have been advised.

Please see via link below Joint TU bulletin (31/8/23) detailing ballot results and the pay award.

psc-tu-side-pay-bulletin-2-31-august-2023.pdf

Please see via link below Police Staff Council Joint Circular detailing the pay award.

psc-joint-circular-134-psc-pay-award-2023-24.pdf

George Georgiou

GMB National Officer: National Pensions Organiser

Posted on: 9 August 2023

The GMB recently submitted a pay claim for its Police Staff members. The employers response to the elements of our claim are as follows:

• A one-year claim

The employers side accept this element of the claim.

An increase of RPI + 4% on all pay points

The employers side reject this element of the claim but offer a 7% pay increase on all pay points on the PSC pay spine as of 1 September 2023

• An increase of RPI + 4% on Standby Allowance and Overnight Away from Home Allowance

The employers side reject this element of the claim but offer a 7% pay increase on Standby Allowance from £32.23 to £34.49 as of 1 September 2023

They are unable to offer an increase in the 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

In line with the position taken in previous years the employers side state they are unable to provide such a guarantee but note that, if accepted, the offer of 7% will ensure that all pay points (including the bottom point - Point 7) will be above the Real Living Wage as of 1 September 2023

• A variable increase in the value of Pay Points 8 – 18 to make each incremental step worth £500 creating more equal steps up the lower pay points of the PSC pay spine; this Adjustment to be applied prior, and in addition to the RPI+4% increase

The employers reject this element of the claim but note there is a case for reform. The employers propose additional talks on the issue and propose, outside of this pay offer, a review of the lower quartile of the PSC pay spine during the 2023/24 pay year. The review would take place without prejudice in the PSC Pay and Reward Working Party and be informed by the Trade Union side aspiration around the Joseph Rowntree Living Wage.

In the event of agreement this could be implemented during the 2023/24 pay year.

• An increase in the minimum annual leave entitlement in the PSC handbook from 24 days on appointment and 29 days after 5 years to 25 and 30 respectively

The employers reject this element of the claim stating that minimum AL entitlements were uprated in 2017 and in 2022 and forces currently have discretion to apply different annual leave entitlements.

Posted on: 9 August 2023

Dear Colleague

Pay Offer 2023/24 – Indicative Ballot

You are receiving this information as a GMB member working as Police Staff entitled to vote in the current GMB ballot on pay.

As you may be aware, following extensive negotiations, management have put forward a one year pay offer of

• With effect from 1 September 2023 an increase of 7% on all pay points on the PSC pay spine
• Other improvements as detailed in the attached information leaflet.

The attached information gives a comprehensive description of the offer and you will see that the employers have rejected our claim for RPI + 4% and other elements of our claim. However, we note the headline offer of 7% is similar to other offers in the public sector.

Given the above, your negotiators consider that, taken in the round with the other proposed improvements, it is the best offer that can be achieved via negotiation.

We ask you to consider this offer and bear in mind that a rejection of the offer would require ongoing industrial action to gain any improvement.

Posted on: 25 July 2023

You will be aware that in April the Trade Union Side of the Police Staff Council submitted a pay claim for police staff for an increase of inflation plus 4% on all pay points along with other non-pay related items as below

• An increase of 1 day in the amounts of Annual Leave given to new starters (from 24 days to 25) and to those with 5 years service (from 29 days to 30)
• A restructuring at the bottom of the pay spine in order to ensure at least £500 between each incremental point
• A guarantee that no pay point would result in an hourly amount less than the Joseph Rowntree Minimum Wage (£10.90 per hour in the UK £11.95 in London).

We met with the employers earlier this month to present our claim and they responded that they would not be able to discuss the headline increase until September by which time the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) will have made a recommendation to the Prime Minister and the employers will have had time to consult with forces as to the nature of what they might offer

The PRRB has now recommended a consolidated increase of 7% to all police officers pay points for all ranks up to and including assistant chief constable and commander. The Prime Minister has accepted this recommendation although he has not as yet made clear where the funds to pay the award will come from.

Police Staff pay talks are not formally linked to the PRRB, but since 2000 Police Staff have not received a pay award less than that awarded to their police officer colleagues. We have no reason to believe that this will be any different this year but will keep you informed as pay talks progress.

With regard to other elements of the claim the employers have initially stated

• Annual Leave - they noted that they have given 2 increases in recent years
• Restructuring at the bottom - they will consider this only in the context of the overall award
• Joseph Rowntree Living Wage - they will take it into account when making any formal offer as they have done previously

We have further meetings planned later this month and in October and we will keep you advised of developments

Posted on: 29 March 2023

As usual we have carried out a survey of GMB police staff members in order to inform the contents of this year’s pay claim.

The results of the survey are summarised below:

RESULTS

(Number of Respondents = 435);
London 3 (0.7%)
Midlands 98 (22.5%)
NEYH 128 (29.4%)
Scotland 1 (0.2%)
Southern 1 (0.2%)
WSW 159 (36.5%)
NWI 45 (10.3%)

*figures subject to rounding

1)What % pay increase would you be willing to accept?
RPI +2%, 23%: 10%, 43%: 12.5%, 13%: 15%, 8%

Other respondents stated ‘Same as police Officers’

2)Should the same % apply to shift and standby allowances and weekend enhancement?

Yes 90%, No 10% (most put more than the pay lift to account for their relative erosion)

3)Excluding a percentage pay increase, is there anything else that you would like GMB to submit in your pay claim? E.g. increase Annual Leave Allowance

Yes 49.4%, No 50.6%

Those answering yes stated - More Annual Leave, Same BH pay as officers, Shorter Working Week, Increased Mileage

4)If we do not achieve the pay claim we are seeking, would you be prepared to take industrial action, short of a strike?

Yes 80.4%, No 19.6%

5) If we do not achieve the pay claim we are seeking, would you be prepared to take industrial action, including a strike?

Yes 61%, No 39%

6) If we do not achieve the pay claim we are seeking, would you be prepared to take some other action? please state

Yes 46%, No 54%
Those answering yes stated - No Overtime, Work to Rule

7) Currently there are many different job evaluation schemes and pay structures in operation across all Police Forces. Would you wish to see one pay scheme and structure applicable to all forces?

Yes 70%, No 30%

8)Do you feel stressed at work?

Yes 77%, No 23%

9) If yes to Question 20 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being extremely stressed and 1 being hardly any stress, please express how stressed you feel

1, 15.4%: 2, 4. 4%: 3, 4.6%: 4, 4.1%: 5, 9.4%: 6, 8.3%: 7, 15.6%: 8, 20.2%

9, 6.9%: 10, 11%

Thank you all for taking the time to complete the survey, the results will be used to inform our submission for the 2023/324 pay round

Posted on: 23 February 2023

GMB is consulting our members on their aspirations for the next pay round. Given the cost of living crisis, high inflation and energy bills it is important that as many members as possible complete the survey. Complete the survey today and return by 20 March 2023!

Don’t miss this chance to HAVE YOUR SAY ON YOUR PAY!

Not a GMB member? Join today – www.gmb.org.uk/join

Want information on being a GMB Rep in your workplace?
Email PublicServices@gmb.org.uk

Posted on: 9 December 2022

To:      Police and Crime Commissioner (copy Chief Exec &Treasurer)

            Chief Constables (copy Force Personnel/HR Manager/Payroll Manager)

            Trade Union Branches

cc:       PSC Members

31 October 2022

JOINT CIRCULAR NO.127 – REVISED PAY AWARD (AMENDED PAY SPINE)

Dear Colleague,

Further to PSC Joint Circular 126 issued on 24 October, please find attached an amended copy of the PSC pay spine.

The attached spine corrects rounding errors at SCP 30, 33, 37 and 44 contained in the spine attached to Joint Circular 126.

We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Priestley                                                               David Algie

Trade Union Side Secretary                                       Employers’ Side Secretariat

Appendix I

• Column 1 is the pay spine.

• Column 2 is the pay spine following the award of a 2.1% increase on all pay points with effect from 1 April 2022.

• Column 3 is the pay spine with £1900 added (less the amount of the 2.1% increase paid between 1 April 2022 and 31 August 2022) to be paid with effect from 1 September 2022.

• Column 4 is the pay spine as of 1 September 2023. Note that this will be the pay spine with any pay award for 2023-2024 pending.

Posted on: 24 October 2022

PAY BULLETIN #7                                                             

Introduction

Police staff in England and Wales will see their salaries rise with effect from 1 September 2022 to bring them in line with the £1900 increase to police officer salaries this year. This increase is confirmed in Police Staff Council (PSC) Joint Circular 126.

This joint trade union bulletin aims to provide police staff members with an explanation of the agreed method by which the Police Staff Council will implement this pay rise. This arises from the re-opener clause from the 2021/22 pay award.

The re-opener clause is as follows:

‘…in the event that a PRRB (police officer pay review body) annual award is agreed from 1 September 2022 in excess of a 3% award, as part of a single year settlement, the Employers’ Side is prepared to re-open pay negotiations on the 17- month police staff pay award to ensure that police staff do not suffer any detriment to their police officer colleagues.’

Background

The background to the re-opener clause is as follows:

• The PSC pay award, agreed earlier this year, covers two pay years: 2021/22 and 2022/23 and was staged as follows:

• 1 September 2021: all police staff earning under £24K got a £250 pay rise

• 1 April 2022: all police staff got a 2.1% pay rise to cover the period between 1 April 2022 and 31 August 2023 (17 months)

• The PSC award guaranteed that if police officers were to get a pay rise above 3% in 2022, then police staff police staff would benefit, over 17 months, from the same increase on salaries as police officers would get over the 12 months of their award

• In July 2022, the Home Secretary ratified a recommendation from the Police Officer Pay Review Body that there should be a consolidated increase on all police officer pay points of £1900

• £1900 was worth on average a 5% increase in the value of police officers’ pay

• The PSC re-opener clause was therefore triggered 
  
  Principles

The following principles inform the implementation of the PSC re-opener clause:

• Police staff are now eligible to receive a consolidated £1900 increase in the value of their pay points over the period 1 April 2022 to 1 September 2023

• Police officers were awarded a £1900 increase on the value of their pay points over 12 months: 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023

• For police staff, the £1900 increase on the value of pay points is spread over 17 months: 1 April 2022 to 1 September 2023

• Police staff pay points will benefit from the same increase as police officers, but spread over a longer period

• The £1900 increase on police staff pay points is implemented in two stages:

• 1 September 2022

• 1 September 2023

• The starting point for the award of the £1900 are the police staff salaries in place on 1 September 2021

• This is because if £1900 was added to salaries including the 2.1% that was awarded on 1 April 2022 then police staff would earn more than police officers over the 17 months of the police staff pay award

• The exact additional award to be paid on each police staff pay point varies between £1901, £1902 and £1903. This is because all PSC pay points have to be divisible by three for payroll purposes.

Worked Example for an Employee on Pay Point 7

• The £1900 increase is added to the police staff salary values which were current on 1 September 2021

• A member of staff on pay point 7 earned £18,753 with effect from 1 September 2021

• On 1 September 2022, £1902 is added to this pay point, which would give this member of staff a total salary of £20,655

• However, from 1 April 2022 they received a 2.1% pay rise

• This gave them an additional income of £33 a month

• Over the 5 months of April to August 2022 this additional monthly income amounted to £165

• From 1 September 2022, to ensure that police staff pay points do not increase by more than £1900 over the 17- month pay award, £165 is deducted from the £1902 which is due

• £1902 minus £165 = £1737

• £1737 is therefore the sum which is added to the 1 September 2021 salary instead of £1902

• Annual salary from 1 September 2022 is therefore: £18,753 + £1737 = £20,490

• On 1 September 2023 the salary of the member of staff will revert to £20,655, as the deduction of £165 will then be spent

• £20,655 will be the baseline salary on which the trade unions will negotiate for the 2023 pay award

• The following table shows the outcome of these calculations for pay point 7 and all other pay points

• Any pay points above pay point 45 on the PSC pay spine, for employees contractually entitled to Police Staff Council terms and conditions, should receive the appropriate uplift in line with the principles and practice set out above

• Back pay will be payable from 1 September 2022

NOTES FOR APPENDIX 1

• Column 1 is the Police Staff Council pay spine (some forces number their pay points differently)
• Column 2 is the pay spine as of 1 September 2021 (including the £250 increase awarded to all pay points under £24,000.)
• Column 3 is total amount to be paid from 1 September 2022 to match the police officer £1900 pay award. Note that the actual amount may be slightly greater than £1900, due to the requirement that all salaries are divisible by three.
• Column 4 is the pay spine reflecting the £1900 pay award and is equal to Column 2 + Column 3.
• Column 5 shows the value of the 2.1% increase paid to all pay points from 1 April 2022 to 31 August 2022. This is derived by taking the annual value of the 2.1% increase (i.e., 2.1% of Column 2) and calculating how much of that was paid over the five-month period from 1 April – 31 August 2022.
• Column 6 is the pay spine for 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023 and is equal to the annual salary including the £1900 pay award (Column 4) less the value of the 2.1% increase paid from April - Sept 2022 (Column 5).
• Column 7 is the pay spine which will revert on 1 September 2023 and is identical to Column 4. Note that this will be the pay spine prior to any pay award for 2023-2024.

Yours Sincerley,

George Georgio
National Officer

Posted on: 6 May 2022

GMB’s ballot for the 2021/22 pay claim has concluded, with 62% of members voting to accept the offer presented by the employer side. The following message has gone to the employers’ side:

This is to confirm that, at a meeting of the Police Staff Council Trade Union Side today, following consideration of the respective results of the UNISON, GMB and UNITE membership ballots on the police staff pay offer covering the period 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2023, and a subsequent vote of members of the Trade Union Side, it was agreed to accept the pay offer

As a reminder, the offer presented by the police staff employers was:

• A £250 consolidated pay increase on pay points 7 to 18 on the PSC pay spine with effect from 1 September 2021.
• A 2.1% increase on pay points 7 to 45 on the PSC pay spine with effect from 1 April 2022 until 31 August 2023 (This is equivalent to a 3.0% pay award over a 12-month period from 1 September 2022).
• A 2.1% increase on Standby Allowance as of 1 April 2022, until 31 August 2023 from £31.57 to £32.23
• An increase in the minimum annual leave entitlement to 24 days and 29 days (after five years) with effect from 1 April 2022.
• In the event that a PRRB annual award is agreed from 1 September 2022 in excess of a 3% award, as part of a single year settlement, the Employers’ Side is prepared to re-open pay negotiations on the 17-month police staff pay award to ensure that police staff do not suffer any detriment to their police officer colleagues.

Negotiations, this time, were protracted and whilst we were able to secure a slightly improved offer, it was by nowhere near close to an offer the GMB National Police Staff Committee felt able to recommend. We are mindful of the cost-of-living crisis that is impacting people on a daily basis and whilst our members have voted by majority to accept the offer a significant number did not, which is a marked difference from previous years. GMB will continue to work tirelessly on your behalf, keeping up our pressure on the government, forces and PCCs to improve pay, terms & conditions of its members.

Local branches will be engaging with their respective forces to understand when this pay deal will now be implemented.

Negotiations on your behalf did make a difference to the pay deal so take this opportunity to discuss with your colleagues and encourage them to join the GMB!

Posted on: 22 April 2022

Gwylan Brinkworth (GMB Wales, National Police Staff Committee Chair), Bill Stevens (GMB Devon & Cornwall, Police Staff Convenor), and George Georgiou (National Officer for Police Staff) held an online meeting to explain the pay deal members are being balloted on during April.

The ballot closes Friday 29^th April 2022 at noon - contact your region directly if you haven't recieved your vote!

Watch a clip from the meeting explaining the background to the current offer:

Posted on: 29 March 2022

Pay talks have concluded with the Employer, and they have presented their final offer.

GMB will now undertake a consultative ballot of our members in police staff roles.

GMB regions are conducting the ballot which is scheduled to close at noon on Friday 29th April 2022

The offer will be put to members without a recommendation.

The offer presented by the police staff employers for 2021/22 and 2022/23 is:  

• A £250 consolidated pay increase on pay points 7 to 18 (inclusive) on the PSC pay spine with effect from 1 September 2021 (to be backdated); 
• A 2.1% consolidated increase on pay points 7 to 45 on the PSC pay spine with effect from1 April 2022 until 31 August 2023 (to be backdated);  
• A 2.1% increase on Standby Allowance with effect from 1 April 2022 until 31 August 2023 from £31.57 to £32.23; 
• An increase in the minimum annual leave entitlement to 24 days and 29 days (after five years) with effect from 1 April 2022; 
• A Collective Bargaining Agreement Reopener Clause that states: "if in the event that a PRRB annual award is agreed from 1 September 2022 in excess of a 3% award, as part of a single year settlement, the Employers’ Side is prepared to re-open pay negotiations on the 17 month police staff pay award to ensure that police staff do not suffer any detriment to their police officer colleagues."

Any pay points above point 45 that have been constructed in accordance with the Police Staff Council Handbook (Part Three) should also be increased by 2.1% from 1 April 2022.

Posted on: 22 December 2021

PAY TALKS CONTINUE

Earlier this year, members of all three unions voted overwhelmingly to oppose the pay freeze and said they were willing to undertake industrial action to seek to achieve a decent pay award this year.

This strength of feeling from members of all three trade unions led to the re-opening of pay talks for the 2021 pay award on 22 November. The trade unions and the employers have since met again on 7 December to see if we could negotiate a real pay offer for this year, instead of a pay freeze.

We are pleased to say that the talks have been constructive and are ongoing.

INFLATION RISES TO 7.1% IN NOVEMBER

In August 2020, the retail prices index of inflation was just 0.5%. In November, this measure of inflation had risen to just over 7%. All the indications are that inflation will continue to rise and, with it, big increases in the cost of members’ fuel, food and consumer goods. You are being hit hard in your pocket, and it is only fair that you see an increase in your earnings to compensate you for this.

NEXT STEPS

Pay talks resume on 17 January 2022 and we will keep members informed of progress.

THANKS AND SEASON’S GREETINGS

The unions wish to thank all our police staff members for your fantastic work over the last 12 months, which have been some to the toughest times that any of us can remember.

So, as we approach the end of the year, we want to wish all our members a peaceful and restful break over Christmas and the New Year. Many of you will be working through the holiday period and we hope that you too get a chance to relax and recharge your batteries.

Posted on: 1 November 2021

UNIONS ASK EMPLOYERS TO RE-OPEN PAY TALKS

Following members’ decisive rejection of the pay freeze proposed by the police employers, as we reported in September, the three unions have since asked the employers to re-open pay talks. We have done this at the same time as making plans for industrial action should this prove necessary to resolve the dispute.

We hope that this course of action will not be necessary, which is why we have written to the employers to seek further talks. In our letter to the employers dated 18 October we made the following key points:

1. The Police Staff Council is an independent collective bargaining body which is not constrained by the Government’s public sector pay freeze policy
2. The Government says that the pay freeze is only directly binding on the Civil Service and parts of the public sector that are covered by the pay review bodies
3. In relation to these facts, the Police Staff Council is no different to the National Joint Council for Local Government Services, or the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services, both of which have made pay offers to local authority employees and firefighters this year

The Police Staff Council next meets on 10 November and we will be pressing the employers to respond positively to our request for talks to resume. The three trade unions want to see a negotiated outcome to this year’s pay award.

EMPLOYERS CHAIRPERSON RESIGNS OVER PAY FREEZE

It is a measure of how serious a crisis we have over police pay this year, that Kim McGuinness has resigned as Chairperson of the Employers Side of the Police Staff Council. Kim, who is Labour PCC for Northumbria Police, has announced she’s stepping down from her national role negotiating pay deals for police staff in response to what she says is the “grossly unfair” pay offer made to police staff and officers.

Over the course of this year, Kim has led talks between PCCs nationally and the Home Office but has now announced that “if ministers won’t stand by our workers then there is no point negotiating with this Government.”

GMB and the joint Unions give Kim our full support in relation to her resignation. We understand how the Government’s attempt to force a pay freeze on our police staff members in England and Wales has caused Kim to take this principled action.

We know that Kim will have thought long and hard before making this decision and we respect the outcome. Kim’s resignation draws attention to the fact that the pay freeze is causing serious hardship to police staff facing unprecedented increases in their living costs. The pay freeze is also causing damage to industrial relations in the police service - the only emergency service to be denied a pay rise this year.

Read the resignation letter in full...

WAKE UP CALL FOR THE HOME SECRETARY

Kim’s resignation is a wake-up call for the Home Secretary to intervene to ensure that the police workforce gets the pay rise it deserves this year, and to repair the damage to industrial relations in the Service. The trade unions hope to see an outcome from this year’s pay negotiations that enables Kim to return to her role on the Council as soon as possible.

We will keep members updated as soon as we have more news.

Posted on: 18 January 2021

The Home Secretary Priti Patel has written to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) to inform of a delay to the 21/22 pay round, in light of the government's Spending Review, anticipated to be a broadly applied public sector pay freeze.

This is the first stage in the pay review process where the government sets the remit to the review body, which will see evidence and representation from both employer (the NPCC) and staff representatives (the joint unions).

In the letter the HS indicates she will not be seeking a pay uplift for police officer roles, but will be refering to the PRRB on:

• For those earning the full time equivalent of gross earnings of less than £24,000, the Government proposes to continue pay uplifts at a value of £250 or the National Living Wage increase, whichever is higher. I look to the PRRB to provide recommendations on the implementation of this uplift and the number of officers it will apply to, taking into account the guidance provided in Annex A of this letter.
• To consider and make recommendations on the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) proposals to introduce a ‘pay progression standard’ and the timetable for implementation.
• In your last report, you provided thoughtful observations on the proposals submitted by the NPCC on benchmarking of police officer pay and valuation of the ‘P factor’. I expect the NPCC to update you on the work undertaken to reach consensus with all parties on the methodologies used to benchmark the pay of all ranks and to value the ‘P-factor’ and I would be grateful for your updated commentary.

Posted on: 18 December 2020

GMB seeks parity for police staff members with police officers regarding  maternity and adoption

The Police Staff Council Trade Union Side has submitted a claim for parity for police staff with the new police officer maternity and adoption pay regulations, which will see maternity pay and adoption pay for qualifying officers increased from 18 weeks to 26 weeks at full pay.

A copy of the NPCC Guidance to the revised police officer regulations for paid maternity and adoption leave can be found here.

We expect to have a response to the claim for parity early next week.

Posted on: 21 October 2020

GMB has recieved a response from the Home Office on baseline police funding, and the government's failure to properly fund this vital public service.

You can read the full letter here, but the headlines are as follows:

[The Minister for Crime & Policing] would like to commend the brilliant individuals supporting forces to carry out their role in keeping our communities across the country safe.

 

To back our sentiments, this year the government set out the largest police funding settlement in a decade which saw a total funding package of up to £15.2 billion in 2020/21, an increase of up to £1.1 billion compared to 2019/20.

 

This includes £750 million funding to enable the recruitment of 6,000 officers in year one of the three-year Police Uplift Programme and the associated costs surrounding this uplift,

including the critical supporting staff.

Karen Leonard, GMB National Officer for Police Staff said:

It's all very well to thank our police staff but thanks won't protect jobs, pay the bills or protect the public. 

The increases in funding have to be seen in a context of a commitment to 20,000 new police officers, but with no corresponding commitment to police staff, and following a decade of underfunding, neglect, and staffing cuts to the service.

We are concerned cuts to frontline jobs are on the way if additional funding is not forthcoming.

A press release from GMB will be posted here on Monday.

Posted on: 18 September 2020

23,500 police staff jobs have been lost in England and Wales under Conservative since 2010, GMB Union analysis shows 

Funding for police staff in the UK must be protected to combat the rising tide of violent crime, GMB has told the Home Secretary today. 

In a letter to Priti Patel, the union says crime scene investigators, PCSO, 999 call takers and dispatchers, custody officers, counter terrorism specialists and regional organised crime units must be protected during the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) 

Since 2010, 23,500 police staff jobs have been cut under successive Conservative-led Governments. ^[1]

Meanwhile the latest crime figures show a large rise in violence against the person and stalking and harassment. ^[2] 

Karen Leonard, GMB National Officer, said: 

“Police staff, including PCSOs, are often the backbone of neighbourhood policing – their funding must be protected. 

“Any cuts will mean less uniforms on the street as they fight to tackle the still rising tide of serious and violent crime. 

“Cut police staff numbers, and history shows that police officers, whom the public expect to be out on the beat tackling crime, will end up doing essential police staff jobs back at the station instead.  

“Any funding for new police and police staff must be in addition to a flat, real terms, CSR settlement  to protect existing police staff jobs.” 

References:

[1] Shock figures reveal 23,500 police staff cuts under Tories 

[2] March 2020 Crime in England & Wales Stats from the Office of National Statistics

GMB wrote to the Home Secretary on 11th September 2020, outlining our concerns and issuing a stark warning against a return to the failed policies of autsterity, attempting to start a constructive dialogue. In the event we recieve a reply to that, it will be posted here for members to read.

Posted on: 3 August 2020

On 22 July the Employers made the following offer for the 2020 police staff pay award:

• 2.5% increase on all pay points with effect from 1 September 2020
• 2.5% increase on standby allowance with effect from 1 September 2020
• Without prejudice talks on police staff apprenticeship pay

At a meeting on 30 July, following meetings of each of the union’s police committees to consider the offer, the Police Staff Trade Unions – UNISON, Unite and GMB – agreed to go back to the Employers to seek an improvement to the offer for low paid police staff.

HOW THE OFFER COMPARES TO OUR PAY CLAIM

The claim which the unions submitted back in May was for:

• A 6.5%, or £1,200, increase in police staff pay
• A 6.5% increase in standby allowance and away from home overnight allowance
• An additional day on the minimum annual leave entitlement in the Police Staff Council Handbook
• Police staff apprentices to be job evaluated and placed on the minimum pay point of the appropriate pay band

The £1,200 flat rate element of our claim was aimed at addressing the fact that the lowest pay point for police staff keeps being overtaken every year by the

real living wage. This shows just how low the entry point to the police staff pay scale is. The unions are determined to address this.

WHAT WE ARE SEEKING

The unions have gone back to the Employers to ask for the following improvements to the offer:

• A 2.5%, or £500, increase, whichever is the greater, on all pay points with effect from 1 September 2020. £500 is worth more than 2.5% for all staff earning under £20,000/year
• The deletion of the lowest pay point in the police staff pay scale to deal once and for all with the problem of this pay point being leap-frogged each year by the real living wage

The Employers say in their offer letter that ‘The Employers’ Side is committed to improving low pay within the Police Staff workforce’. But they fail to back this up with anything in the offer for the low paid. This is simply not acceptable, particularly as the Home Secretary agreed to delete the lowest pay point for police sergeants this year.

NEXT STEPS

The Trade Unions have asked the Employers for an urgent meeting to continue negotiations on the offer. We hope that this can take place in the first week in August, as we know that members are keen to get their pay award as soon as possible.

We will be back in touch with you as soon as possible once the next negotiating meeting has taken place. Each union will ballot members on the final offer.

Posted on: 14 July 2020

The PM's U-Turn on the pledge to reverse policing cuts has left over 1000 police jobs in Yorkshire at risk. Read the full GMB press release on that here:

Posted on: 21 May 2020

GMB’s National Police Staff Committee were pleased to welcome Sarah Jones MP into her new role as Shadow Minister for Policing and the Fire Service today. 

Sarah was keen to understand the issues facing our Police Staff members, not just during Covid-19, but at all other times. Today, the GMB launched it’s Go Public campaign in the Police Service: ‘What our Police Need’.  5 Key Asks have been collated as a result of member responses to recent GMB Police Staff surveys. The asks are clear: 

1. More FUNDING for pay and services 

2. CELEBRATING the role of Police Staff 

3. Challenge the CULTURE and address stress and mental health 

4. Protect our members from VIOLENCE at work 

5. Challenge PRIVATISATION and outsourcing 

You can access the full campaign booklet here:

A positive discussion was held, where your national committee raised all the issues that matter to you including the 2020 Pay Claim, austerity and post Covid fears, exclusion from the Government’s Death in Service Covid Life Assurance Scheme, PPE and pensions.

Your committee members will now be working to get Sarah the further information she requested so that we can ensure your voice is heard loud and clear. We all look forward to working together on common issues moving forwards. 

Keep an eye out on the Noticeboard for Police Staff on the GMB Website for further updates, or follow and like our Facebook Page: GMB – The Union for Police Staff. 

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Want more information on being a GMB Rep in your workplace? Email us!

Posted on: 20 October 2020

Thank you to all GMB members who voted in this important ballot. The ballot has now closed, and GMB members have had their say on their pay. GMB members have voted to accept the offer.

The pay offer is as follows:

Employers’ Side Final Offer

From 1^st September 2020:

• £700 pay increase on pay point 7 (£17,799) on PSC pay spine
• 2.5% increase / £500 (whichever is the greater) on all remaining pay points on the PSC pay spine
• 2.5% increase on Standby Allowance from £30.80 to £31.57
• Without prejudice talks on police staff apprenticeship pay.

The other unions, Unison and Unite, have also accepted the offer, so pay rates will now be adjusted accordingly, and backdated to September 2020.

Talks will now begin on the non-pay elements of the pay claim regarding apprenticeship pay.