NIPSA members in PSNI to go on strike over 'danger money'

NIPSA says its members in the PSNI have overwhelmingly voted for strike action over the issue of the "Revised Environmental Allowance" (REA) or “danger money”.

The union says 91% voted for strike action and 96% voted for action short of strike action, which it says shows the anger amongst members whose REA has been significantly less than their Police Officer counterparts.

NIPSA says its PSNI employees carry out non-police officer roles such as forensic officers, pilots, admin staff phone operators and custody detention officers.

The union says its members within the PSNI are "under threat and undervalued which has effectively created a two-tier workforce due to the disparities in Pay and Terms & Conditions".

It added: "Increasing the REA would help to establish a stronger foundation for equality.

"The decision to prioritise the increase of Police Officers’ danger money by 7%, while neglecting the agreed increase for [other] Police Staff, has angered NIPSA members following a turbulent year of heightened risk, exacerbated by the recent high-profile data breach."

NIPSA says it plans to commence action short of strike action at the beginning of July and strike action will start on 11 of July.

Speaking about the planned industrial action by NIPSA, Police Service of Northern Ireland Temporary Assistant Chief Constable, Melanie Jones said: “Planning is underway to mitigate any risk in critical functions in the event of staff absences as a result of this industrial action.“I want to reassure the public that we will have the resources in place to allow us to keep people safe.”