Date: 09 March 2012

Police staff secure victory in fight over pay cuts of up to 35%

UNISON’s police staff members have won a victory in their campaign against massive cuts in terms and conditions in the run-up to a single Scottish police service over the next year. Police staff had been facing wage cuts of up to 35%. These have now been withdrawn.

At a meeting of the Police Staff Council (Scotland) today, the police authority employers withdrew what had been described as a "final offer" of a reduction in the terms and conditions of police staff members in Scotland.

Peter Veldon, UNISON’s lead negotiator for the staff side said:
“This is not only a great victory for police staff in Scotland, who have campaigned hard against the massive cuts which were proposed by the employers, but for common sense as well.”

“We are just over a year away from the New Police Service of Scotland being created, yet police staff members were being asked to contemplate wage cuts of up to 35%. Set this against a background of a wage freeze for the past two years for staff, and mounting concern and anger over proposals for huge job losses when the new force comes into existence in April 2013, this decision provides a small degree of comfort for our members. It is at least one less thing to worry about.”

“UNISON's police and justice staff will be entering into negotiations to harmonise terms and conditions with the Police Service of Scotland once that body has been set up.”

ENDS

For further information please contact:
Peter Veldon, Regional Organiser - 07904 342 285
Gerry Crawley, Regional Organiser- 07958 121 805
Malcolm Burns, Communications Officer - 0141 342 2877 / 07538 640 396

Note to editors

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing over 162,000 members working in the public sector in Scotland, and represents police staffs in Scotland.

2. UNISON is campaigning to stop thousands of police staff jobs being cut due to police force reform in Scotland in the immediate future.

Please see recent press releases on this issue for further information:

28 Feb: UNISON warns staff jobs cuts could lead to scandal of 2,000 police officers taken off street
22 Feb: UNISON urges councillors to end compulsory redundancy threat to police staff in Strathclyde 
21 Feb: UNISON raises concern over threat to 2,000 police staff jobs at Scottish Parliament 
26 Jan: Threat to 2000 Scottish police staff jobs is criminal
17 Jan: Cuts to police staff could have damaging effect on law and order - UNISON 

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