Merseyside chief constable backs officers in pay row

Dec 18 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

MERSEYSIDE’S Chief Constable last night launched a direct attack on Home Secretary Jacqui Smith – accusing her of treating his “exceptional” officers in a shabby way.

In an unprecedented outburst, Bernard Hogan-Howe accused the Government of behaving in a “totally unacceptable” way by ratifying the officers’ pay arbitration finding but deciding not to back-pay wages to September.

Mr Hogan-Howe stepped up pressure on Ms Smith, who is already facing calls to resign, to quickly find “a fair and equitable pay settlement” that took into account the dangerous, demanding and challenging job his officers faced day in, day out.

He said he felt so strongly that the Home Secretary’s decision undermined the work his officers did that he was compelled to speak out against her, and has written to a national newspaper.

His comments added further fuel to the pay row, which has seen officers across the country consider balloting for the right to strike in protest for the first time.

By not back-paying officers to September 1, the Home Secretary has effectively cut the under inflation pay award of 2.5% to 1.9% – a lower award than any other emergency service or public sector body in England and Wales – and for the one group of workers that cannot take industrial action.

The Police Federation of England and Wales said this was “contemptuous behaviour” by the Home Secretary, and has rightly angered the 140,000 police officers in England and Wales who have been waiting patiently for their pay award.

Mr Hogan-Howe backed the Federation and said that this was not just about money – it was about treating police officers fairly. He said that by not honouring the Independent Police Arbitration Tribunal deal the Home Secretary has betrayed the trust of police officers.

In a letter to Merseyside Police Federation, Mr Hogan-Howe said: “I feel that it is important that I state my position with regards to the Police pay award recently determined by the Home Secretary following prolonged negotiations and arbitration.

“I wholeheartedly support the work being done by the Merseyside Police Federation in its fight against the decision by the Government to stage the award, effectively reducing it to below 2%.

“I feel that officers have been treated in a shabby way.

“The staff side entered into arbitration genuinely willing to accept the outcome and understanding its binding nature. It seems totally unacceptable that the Government can now reject those elements of that arbitration decision that they consider inconvenient.

“The impact of the decision is compounded by the fact that the full pay award has been ratified for our colleagues in Scotland, whose increase has been backdated to September, and that budgetary provision had already been made for the full award, by our paymasters.

“I understand that, in real terms, the refusal to backdate this award amounts only to a few hundred pounds and I agree with many of the comments I have heard that the officers’ quarrel is not about the money, but the principle.

“The Government’s decision seems to undermine the special nature of the office of Constable to the extent that officers are talking about the right to take industrial action, which I know is abhorrent to us all.

“We do an exceptional job here on Merseyside, frequently in challenging and demanding circumstances, and I continue to be extremely proud to be Chief Constable of this force.”

The chair of Merseyside Police Authority, Cllr Bill Weightman, agreed police pay awards must not be reneged upon. He said: “Long-standing agreements on police pay and conditions should be honoured by the Home Secretary – who should abide by the decision.”

Ian Leyland, chair of Merseyside Police Federation, added: “It is reassuring that the chief is so in touch with the sentiment of the Federation and his officers.

“My members, like Mr Hogan-Howe, are furious about this and Ms Smith should be ashamed of herself.”

The angry reactions came after a disclosure that “ideas” put forward on Merseyside included a work-to-rule which could lead to officers refusing to police Liverpool and Everton games. One senior source said this could “bring the Premiership to a halt”.

The ballot on a possible strike is likely in the New Year – conducted among officers from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Protest rallies are also planned.

carolineinnes