2% rise not what it appears to be says Federation

POLICE pay awards such as the one announced this year leave officers questioning how much they are valued, according to South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Zuleika Payne.

The Government announced this week that all police officers will get a 2% pay rise from 1 September.

However, because last year’s pay award consisted of a 1% rise and a 1% one-off bonus, it means that officers are effectively only getting another 1% in their pay packets.

Zuleika said: “Although the award for police officers reads as 2%, once the non-consolidated bonus of 1% for the year 2017 -2018 is removed, this is effectively a 1% increase which in real terms equates to something like 0.85%.

“In real terms police officers pay has now decreased by around 18% since 2009/10, so this is a disappointing outcome for police officers.

“The PRRB recommended a 3% increase but sadly this isn’t to be the case.

“Although the average pay for a Police Constable stands at £38,600 per year, this is an average and many earn much less than this,” she said.

The Government has accepted the recommendations on pay for those entering the degree apprenticeship scheme, with constables on a starting salary of between £18,000 and pay point 1 – £23,586.

“As public sector workers, we strive to deliver the best service we can, but awards of this nature leave us questioning how much we are actually valued,” Zuleika added.