- Conference
- 2014 Police & Justice Conference
- Date
- 24 June 2014
- Decision
- Carried
Conference welcomes UNISON’s 2014 ‘Worth It’ campaign to make sure that the pay of public sector workers stays at the top of the agenda in the run up to the 2015 general election. Police staff, probation workers and Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) employees have all seen the purchasing power of their salaries decline significantly since 2010. With the cost of living crisis set to continue, police and justice members are struggling to make ends meet.
Conference notes with concern:
1)The Government’s on-going public sector austerity drive means no end in sight for pay restraint for public sector workers.
2)The likelihood of police, probation and CAFCASS members being offered a measly 1% pay rise again for 2014.
3)The purchasing power of police staff pay has declined by a shocking 13% in real terms since 2010.
4)The purchasing power of probation workers pay has declined even more, by nearly 16%, since 2010;
5)If pay restraint continues into the future, the value of our members’ salaries will continue this dramatic slide.
6)The threat of on-going job losses in all sectors is being used cynically to cap the aspiration of police and justice members to improve their financial position.
Conference recognises that the government is not going to change its policy on public sector pay voluntarily. Conference therefore calls upon the Service Group Executive to:
a)Vigorously support UNISON’s ‘Worth It’ Campaign for pay in 2014/15.
b)Work with UNISON’s other Service Groups to support the ‘Worth It’ campaign across the union.
c)Support each Sector within the Service Group to run pay campaigns which raise the profile of pay for members and encourage members to get active in the campaigns to improve their pay.
d)Provide support and resources to sectors undertaking campaigning work on pay.
e)Develop an overarching Service Group campaign on pay in 2014/15.
f)Support an industrial action strategy as necessary for each Sector, in pursuit of the aims of the Worth It Campaign