The recent 4.75% police pay rise still lags behind other public-sector pay deals, leaving officers feeling \u201cdevalued\u201d, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
In July, the Government announced that it had accepted the Police Remuneration Review Body\u2019s (PRRB) recommendation in full and that police officer pay for 2024\/25 would increase by 4.75% across all ranks.<\/p>\n
However, this is not enough to remedy the 17% real-terms pay cut officers have suffered since 2010 due to below-inflation rises, and the pay increase is below that offered to other public-sector workers. Most NHS workers, teachers and members of the armed forces will receive pay rises ranging from 5.5% to 6%.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: \u201cAlthough 4.75% is the second largest pay rise in 20 years of policing, it is still lagging behind other public sector pay. And it doesn\u2019t address the long-term degradation of police pay, so there needs to be work to get that back up, over time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is that the new Government has just accepted the pay review body\u2019s recommendation, when that review body isn\u2019t fit for purpose. We know that.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, the biggest kick in the teeth is that cops have got less of a pay rise than others, which makes them feel devalued. There needs to be another conversation about redressing that, especially after what happened to our force in the recent riots. We, as a branch, are talking to our region and nationally about re-engaging with the Government to say: \u2018Can you not reconsider this position, following what\u2019s gone on?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve said the pay issue was linked to the fact that the police don\u2019t currently have industrial rights and are unable to strike, unlike other public-sector workers.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cAs police officers, we should be rewarded for not having industrial rights, whereas actually it works the other way around. Our pay has been decimated, more than most other public sectors. This illustrates the need for industrial rights going forward and to change the negotiating formula for police officers, because it\u2019s clearly not fit for purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n