Scottish police have moved closer to industrial action after being treated with ‘utter disregard’ for pay negotiations.
The Scottish Police Federation’s general secretary took to Twitter on Wednesday to lambast force bosses and ministers for refusing to start talks.
Earlier this month Scottish officers were offered a pay rise of around 2% for most officers and 1% for its highest paid members.
The SPF, which represents all officers from junior constables to chief inspectors, called the offer “paltry” and demanded 3.4%.
It has now been 19 days since the last talks between the Police Negotiating Committee – made up of Police Scotland, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government – and staff.
Mr Steele told our sister headline The Herald that his members were “facing a wall of silence” while other public sector workers were engaged in meaningful negotiations.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Scottish government offered NHS staff a record 5% pay rise. Last week, staff at state-owned ScotRail were also offered 5%.
Mr Steele said: ‘I have never experienced anything like it in the 15 years I have been involved with the Police Bargaining Committee.
“In all the years since the establishment of the Police Service of Scotland, where I was the principal negotiator on behalf of the police in Scotland, I have never encountered such a situation before.”
On social media, he said the government “displayed complete disregard for the police in our ongoing pay dispute” and that its members were “incandescent with the way they are being treated”.
In the meantime, I ask all members to channel their anger. We may have limited industrial rights, but what we can do within the law is important, and it will have an impact.
— Calum Steele (@CalumA_Steele) June 15, 2022
Police officers have legal limits on the industrial action they are allowed to take. They are forbidden to strike.
But Mr Steele said what they could do within the law was ‘meaningful’ and would have ‘impact’.
The Scottish Government and Police Scotland have been contacted for comment.
Last year, officers received a pay rise of £700 and a separate unbound payment of £250.
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