By David Kennedy
General secretary of the Scottish Police Federation
As the police service prepares for the 2025/26 pay negotiations, it’s important to reflect on the challenges and outcomes of last year’s process.
The 2024 pay negotiations were particularly frustrating, with delays, setbacks, and an arbitration process that ultimately left many feeling disheartened.
In this article I provide an overview of what transpired, the arbitration decision, and what lies ahead in the fight that continues to take place for fair pay for police officers in Scotland.
Pay negotiations for police officers in Scotland are conducted through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland (PNBS). This body is responsible for negotiating pay, terms, and conditions for police officers.
It is made up of two key groups.
There is the ‘official side’ representing the Scottish Government, the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), and Police Scotland, which determines what it believes is an affordable and justified pay award.
And there is the ‘staff side’ representing police officers through their staff associations, including the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS), and the Scottish Chief Police Officers Staff Association (SCPOSA).
This side fights for fair pay, improved conditions, and recognition of the work officers do.
If an agreement cannot be reached within PNBS, the dispute can be escalated to arbitration, where an independent arbitrator makes a final decision on the pay award.
One of the key frustrations last year was the timing of the pay negotiations.
The official side did not make an offer until October 2024, which made an early settlement impossible.
Prior to that, the staff side strongly believes that any offer would have been below three per cent.
However, when the UK Fire and Rescue Service secured a four per cent pay rise in spring 2024, it moved the official side’s position.
This was further reinforced when the Police Service of England and Wales announced a 4.75 per cent increase in July.
However, a major turning point came on August 20 when the Scottish Government offered NHS workers a 5.5 per cent pay increase.
This raised important questions about affordability and fairness.
Due to differences in budget sizes between the police and health services, it was recognised that police officers in Scotland could have been given the same.
These negotiations highlighted a harsh reality: timing can be crucial, but ultimately, the outcome depends on what is agreed upon at the table and how much a government values its services.
With no agreement reached, the staff side had no choice other than registering a failure to agree, leading to arbitration. The arbitration meeting, held privately on February 6 this year, was a pivotal moment.
While police officers’ pay was being decided, across the virtual corridor just days before police staff had balloted on strike action. They voted to accept a 4.75 per cent pay offer with the caveat that should officers receive more in arbitration, then they could reopen the staff negotiations to also receive more.
So, back in the arbitration room, the staff side strongly argued that a 5.5 per cent pay increase – matching the NHS offer – was both fair and affordable, presenting substantial evidence to support its case.
The official side continued to argue that 4.75 per cent was fair and it was all it could afford.
Ultimately, the arbitrator had the discretion to settle on any figure between the two percentages, but on February 14 the lower end of the scale was chosen.
Our view is that this was the easier option rather than the fairest one, and it is no coincidence that police officers in Scotland received the same increase as their counterparts in the rest of the UK.
In the coming weeks, negotiations will start regarding the 2025/26 pay claim for police officers in Scotland.
As police officers continue their fight for fair pay, the staff side awaits an independent research report from the Fraser of Allander Institute. This report, which will be released in two parts, will be a crucial tool in ongoing discussions.
The first part, due by the end of March 2025, will focus on pay mechanisms, including pay indexing, collective bargaining, pay review bodies, and index-linked pay.
This will be a key reference point in pay discussions with PNBS throughout the year.
The second part of the report, expected at the end of 2025, will examine wage growth, the link between pay, the right to strike, and pay restoration.
It remains to be seen whether police officers in Scotland will receive fair pay without the right to strike or take industrial action.