As part of its austerity programme the
Tory-LibDem coalition is planning to cut police officers’ wages and
making it easier to sack them. There are to be wage cuts, job losses and
more stringent requirements to enter the police force.
As part of its austerity programme the
Tory-LibDem coalition is planning to cut police officers’ wages and
making it easier to sack them. There are to be wage cuts, job losses and
more stringent requirements to enter the police force. The starting
salary would be £19,000, down from the current £23,500. Those on
“restricted duties” for more than a year could lose 8 per cent of their
salary and after two years would be asked to take “ill-health
retirement”. Anyone refusing to “retire” or take staff jobs would be
subject to dismissal, i.e. the sack! There is also the proposal to raise
the age of retirement to 60 from the present 55.
The government seems to have forgotten that in the coming period of
growing class conflict they will need the services of the police in
combating the growing militancy which is emerging among British workers.
Or maybe this government thinks the workers are just going to take it
without a fight. Or possibly, they believe they can count on the trade
union leaders to hold them back indefinitely. Whatever the reasoning is,
they are clearly confident that they can attack police working
conditions and wages and still have a “loyal” force. That or they are
simply dumb!
The more serious and long-sighted strategists of British capital,
however, will be concerned at the growing demand among ordinary police
officers to be given back their right to strike. On March 16 an e-petition
was launched precisely on this question. In the time it has taken to
write this brief note for our Blog over 80 new signatures have been
added to the petition, now standing at a total of 5607! [Friday, March
23, 15:59 hours]. On March 21, two days ago, the signatures were 2700.
The petition is to remain open for a year. If it gets 100,000 signatures
it can be debated in parliament. The introduction to the petition
states: “The government should recognise this human right and repeal
legislation forbidding the creation of Police Unions and this right.”
One comment on policeoracle.com reads: “If this [the above mentioned
proposals] does come into play and I can be made redundant does this
mean we become employees and can strike? Can I get the same rights as
everyone else?”
The Police Federation of England and Wales, the nearest thing to an
actual police trade union, is planning to hold a national ballot asking
rank-and-file officers whether they want full industrial rights, i.e.
the right to strike. The Federation has also announced that it is going
to hold an “event” in London to underline this “unprecedented attack on
policing by this government”. The Federation is calling on the Home
Secretary Theresa May to reject Part Two of the Winsor report, while all
the necessary information on the right to strike is to be circulated to
its 135,000 members.
In 1918 and 1919 there were police strikes in Britain [see The ‘Spirit of Petrograd’? The 1918 and 1919 Police Strikes in Britain]
which saw 12,000 furious Metropolitan constables marching on Whitehall.
It was after that experience that the British government pushed the
Police Act 1919 through parliament, which established the Police
Federation of England and Wales and barred police from belonging to a
trade union. Almost a century later police officers are demanding the
right to strike be given back to them. Already on January 23, 2008,
thousands of police marched through London protesting about wages and
conditions [See Britain: Bolshevik Bobbies].
Next time you are on a demonstration peacefully protesting about
student fees, pensions, wages and job cuts you can point all the above
out to the police officers on duty!
