Met Police pay update

The deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Craig Mackey, today confirmed that the 2014 final pay offer, which Prospect members voted to accept, will be paid with December salaries.

Prospect, Unite and PCS unions met the deputy commissioner and the rest of the MPS People Board on 18 November under the disputes procedure after Unite and PCS unions rejected the final pay offer.

The issues considered at that meeting included:

• the requirement for MPS to follow the public sector pay guidelines
• whether cash reserves could have been used to improve the pay offer, and
• exploring the scope for improvements to that pay offer, including an increase in the consolidated elements of the award; consolidation of London Weighting into basic pay; additional leave for staff who have attained 20 years’ service; and extending travel concessions to MPS staff.

The deputy commissioner said: “I am unable on this occasion to support an improvement on the final pay offer provided to you through your pay negotiations.”

The final offer, which will be implemented at the end of December, is:

• a non-consolidated lump sum payment of £400 (taxable) to all MPS staff in service on 1 November 2014
• a consolidated increase of £200 applied to the maximum pay point only of each pay band, backdated to 1 August 2014
• the £400 and £200 payments will be paid pro-rata for part-time staff
• the introduction of an interest free ‘housing deposit assistance’ loan facility to help individuals who need a deposit to rent a house or flat, limited to one month’s salary;
• extending the existing ‘salary sacrifice scheme’ to include: car leasing; computer equipment leasing and health screening.

Former Forensic Science Service staff

In early October Prospect received written confirmation from MPS that the pay offer would apply in full to ex-FSS staff who transferred into the MPS in 2011. This means that the £400 lump sum payment will apply to all FSS staff (pro-rata for part-time staff).

Prospect had argued that the £200 consolidated increase should also apply because FSS staff cannot benefit from the incremental progression arrangements in MPS until the pay bands are harmonised.

Prospect received the written confirmation on 2 December from Kevin Courtney, head of pay and reward. He said: “I am happy to confirm that, on the basis they have not benefitted this year from any other pay progression, all except the one member of staff paid above their pay grade will receive both the £200 consolidated increase and the £400 non-consolidated payment, paid pro rata for part timers.

“The increase to rates of pay will apply from the Met’s review date, 1 August 2014, not from the FSS review date. This will be consistent with the treatment of that group of staff in relation to the general increase applied last year.”