We're taken for granted

Cops threaten industrial action for first time as they see salaries drop to lower than teachers, nurses and firefighters

- MARCELLO MEGA

FRONTLINE police are threatening a crippling work to rule action for the first time, claiming they have been "left behind" on pay.

Officers are fighting to secure an 8.5 per cent pay rise, saying their salaries trail other public service workers.

As police officers cannot strike or take any other industrial action, they believe the best weapon they have is the withdrawal of "goodwill" - effectively a work to rule that will see officers refuse to work overtime shifts.

The Scottish Police Federation claims officers' pay and conditions have been eroded badly in recent years.

In an unprecedented move, they say the withdrawal of "goodwill" is being considered as a last resort making it impossible to maintain levels of service expected by the public.

David Kennedy, general secretary of the federation, which represents the vast majority of Scotland's 16,600 officers, said: "There is absolutely a strong prospect of officers working to rule, or, as we prefer to say, to regulations.

"We have to try to make sure we maintain standards in line with other public servants, and in the last 16 years or so we have lost a lot of ground. In a crisis, we are the first port of call, but we have not been treated as we deserved in recent years."

He added police pay had fallen 15 per cent behind inflation since 2006 when it stopped being linked to an average index.

Kennedy said: "The public understandably expects high standards from police officers, but it now feels as though we're being taken for granted.

"Our pay and conditions have been eroded badly since 2006.