Scottish police officers to receive 5% pay rise after agreement reached

Police officers in Scotland will receive a 5% increase in their pay and allowances weeks after rejecting an initial “derisory” offer of £565.

The improved pay offer will be backdated to April 1.

Officers had “withdrawn goodwill” from Police Scotland as part of strike action in July.

But on Monday, general secretary Calum Steele of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said an agreement had been reached.

In addition to the 5% pay increase across all ranks, the agreement also has a number of enhancements to police officer terms and conditions, including a 5% increase on allowances.

In a letter to officers, Mr Steele described the latest offer as a “substantial improvement” on the initial offer which worked out at 1.4%.

He added: “The staff side has been cognisant throughout this entire process of the importance of securing the best possible settlement for police officers against a backdrop of the most severe economic circumstances in almost 50 years.

“In reaching an agreement, the staff side recognises that whilst this increase in pay will mitigate some of the cost of living pressures faced by police officers, it will not entirely address them.”

The initial £565 offer was rejected as “derisory” by the SPF in June.

While officers are prohibited by law from taking industrial action, they withdrew “all goodwill” to show “significant discontent”.

This included members of the force not working overtime, nor taking radio equipment home when their duty ended.

Commenting, a spokesperson from SPF said: “This year’s negotiations have been exceptionally challenging and have taken place against the worst cost of living crisis in 50 years. We recognise this agreement will not fully overcome these challenges but hope it goes some way to mitigating them.

“The steadfast commitment of members to take unprecedented action in response to the initial offer of £565 (1.4%) has been instrumental in getting us to this position today. Were it not for that commitment, we would never have secured the substantial improvement we now have.

“This has been a long and painful process for our members. Whilst we genuinely believe police officers deserve even more, we believe this agreement is the best that could have been reached in all of the prevailing circumstances.”