Police superintendents advised to stick to ‘core hours’ in pay dispute

Senior police leaders have been advised to adhere to their “core duty hours” by the organisation representing them as frustrations escalate in an ongoing dispute over pay.

The Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS) said the challenges facing its members have become “increasingly severe” with “unprecedented reductions” in the number of superintending ranks.

It said this is placing “unsustainable demands on those who remain” and it is recommending they only work their core hours, except in certain circumstances, to “safeguard the health and resilience” of members.

ASPS said the Scottish Government’s pay offer of a 4.75% rise “falls short of what is fair and reasonable” and “fails to recognise the unique and personally restrictive factors of serving in the police”.

It has cut its claim from 5.7% to 5.5%, describing this as a “fair and reasonable” compromise, and is seeking to match the pay rise given to NHS workers in Scotland.

In a letter to Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell, Stewart Carle, ASPS general secretary, said: “In light of these concerns, and with a duty to protect the wellbeing of our members, ASPS has advised superintendents and chief superintendents to adhere to their core duty hours of 8am-4pm, as specified in the superintending rank’s workforce agreement.

“This guidance applies unless they are dealing with live operational circumstances, fulfilling an on-call function, or have agreed to altered duty hours, with a period of notice stipulated in the workforce agreement.

“This decision was not taken lightly; it is a measure that has become necessary to safeguard the health and resilience of our members.”

ASPS said it plans to write to public sector partners to inform them of the move and to ask them to limit communications to regular business hours during the dispute.

However, it said it is prepared to put writing to them on hold until later in December in the “sincere and genuine hope that meaningful progress in conciliation can be made”.

It comes after the Scottish Police Federation, the organisation representing rank-and-file officers, announced at the end of October that officers will be withdrawing their goodwill until further notice as part of the dispute.

Police officers are prohibited by law from going on strike but can choose to withdraw goodwill, or work to rule, as a means of expressing dissatisfaction.

In his letter, Mr Carle said: “Chief constable, we are at a critical juncture, with our colleagues in the Scottish Police Federation having withdrawn the goodwill factor so essential to the smooth and effective running of the service.

“This directly affects our members who are the operational commanders and leaders charged with delivering effective policing services.

“As such, I must emphasise that the challenges and frustrations of our members are escalating, and we are seeing the toll this prolonged situation is taking on the mental and physical wellbeing of our members, with sickness absences now arising.

“We trust that the official side will recognise the gravity and unprecedented nature of our concerns, and work with us to reach a resolution that reflects the unstinting commitment and sacrifices our members make daily.”

Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “Our senior officers play a vital role in driving and directing the organisation to keep communities safe across the country, and it is right that their public service is recognised and rewarded.

“I am confident they will continue to demonstrate the highest levels of commitment.

“We note the position of the staff side of the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland to progress to conciliation and arbitration and are committed to co-operating with that process.”