THE question of whether police officers want to gain industrial rights \u201cis not going to go away\u201d, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
The national Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) is pushing for a 17% pay increase for police officers this year.<\/p>\n
Unlike other public-sector workers, police officers are not allowed to strike, and PFEW says this is likely to affect their bargaining power.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent thinks the question of the right to strike and take collective action should be put to Federation members if they don\u2019t get the 17% rise they\u2019re asking for.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt\u2019s a case of if, not when, the industrial rights question gets asked again. If we don\u2019t get a 17% pay deal from the Government, then it will be up to the members to decide whether they will hold an indicative vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis issue is not going to go away until it\u2019s dealt with. A vote will show the strength of feeling around this, and the public and everybody else will realise how fed up officers are.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we start to see improvements in pay, it may be that this question is shelved. But if we don\u2019t, then we\u2019re going to have to look at this nationally. But I will still be talking to my members locally, asking them what they want.\u201d<\/p>\n