\u201cPOLICE pay has fallen more than any other public service, and yet we are the only ones who can\u2019t strike.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said the Government \u201chave us over a barrel\u201d when it comes to pay.<\/p>\n
He was commenting after ITV\u2019s Peston programme showed that police earnings dropped in real terms more than any other public service from 2009 to 2021 \u2013 including the fire service, nurses, teachers and paramedics.<\/p>\n
And with other public sectors staging a series of strikes over pay, Steve said the Police Federation needed to re-examine the case for industrial rights.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI am frequently told by my members that they want industrial rights to be re-explored. Now, that is not to say that any police officer I\u2019ve ever spoken to has said they would walk out and strike, they\u2019re not saying they would take industrial action. But they want it to be looked at.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy stance as Chair is that I represent what my members are telling me, and I think the national Federation needs to re-explore this, even though the prospects of a legal opening into industrial rights are very slim, and I totally understand the rationale behind that.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we need to send a clear message to Government and to the media that this is how fed up officers are. Our colleagues in the NHS are out on strike and our officers are here, plugging the gaps. So if we don\u2019t ask the question, I believe we\u2019re letting our members down.\u201d<\/p>\n