On Wednesday 23rd January, 2008, an estimated 22,500 off-duty police officers from across England and Wales travelled to central London to mount a protest at the Government's decision to ignore the recommendation of an independent arbitration tribunal on police pay which recommended to the Home Secretary a 2.5% pay award effective from 1st. September, 2007. Instead, the Home Secretary, no doubt under instructions from Prime Minister Gordon Brown, decided to accept the recommendation of the independent arbitration tribunal but to implement it, not from 1st September as per the normal update, instead to commence it on the 1st December, thereby reducing the 2.5% pay award to 1.9%.
This was regarded by all serving police officers as a betrayal of trust and served to completely undermine the independent arbitration process. It was perceived, quite rightly, as the thin end of the wedge, especially when the police have no industrial power under the law to withdraw their labour as in most other professions. The fact that Members of Parliament can vote themselves a pay rise of whatever magnitude seems to have been completely lost on the Government. Following the magnificent turn out on the protest however, the MP's acquiesced and voted themselves a 1.9% pay rise. Without doubt from embarrassment at what they had inflicted upon the police service. At least it shows, contrary to popular opinion, that they do have a conscience!
The Parliament of Scotland, by contrast, implemented the police tribunal recommendation in full! To add even more fuel to the fire the Government accepted the teachers pay review board recommendation and implemented their 2.5% award in full! Who do they think they are kidding?
The huge demonstration of solidarity on Wednesday was, in my opinion, a great credit to the Police Federation of England & Wales and to each and every officer on the march. They conducted themselves with immense civility and even more dignity than any other protest march I have ever witnessed in Central London. Congratulations to all concerned. Even your baseball caps captured the occasion in the right spirit with a neutral political colour and a simple but poignant message. On national television the impact of all those thousands of white caps was an awesome message of solidarity and I commend those who created that great idea and slogan. I was so proud when those of you in Westminster Hall, at the end of the peaceful protest, stood up and sang "God save the Queen". Our National Anthem personifies everything we have ever stood for in the Police Service in this great and wonderful country.
As an officer who retired 12 years ago I empathise with your current plight. I served in the pay meagre days of pre: Lord Edmund Davies, when those in manual trades used to mock me that they earned more in a week than I did! I sincerely hope we never return to those austere days when 24 hour shift work, weekend and bank holiday work, merited very little reward indeed, not to mention the regular risks of confrontation with weapon wielding and drunken layabouts!
I sincerely hope the impact of your demonstration has left a lasting impression upon the minds of those in Government and whilst a u-turn is unlikely in the present instance it should focus their minds on delivering a fairer pay settlement in the forthcoming pay rounds. Keeping inflation under control should never be at the expense of depriving front line police officers of their just entitlements!
To have implemented the recommendations of the arbitration tribunal would have cost peanuts by comparison to the billions of pounds which the Government have paid, and will continue to guarantee, in order to prop-up the ailing Northern Rock Bank as a result of the appalling mismanagement by its Chairman and Board of Directors. Our Government should be thoroughly ashamed of itself. Roll on the General Election! I can say that, unfortunately they cannot. So much for freedom of speech in a democratic society!
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