Police officers in Northern Ireland deserve pay rise and process should be concluded as quickly as possible, says Police Federation Chair but teachers' union rep warns of further industrial action if agreement not reached

An allocation of £75.3 million has been given to the Department of Justice as part of Stormont ministers agreeing to release £688 million to make outstanding pay awards for public sector workers in Northern Ireland.

As such, it is now up to trade unions and employers to finalise negotiations.

The money has been released as part of the £3.3 billion package awarded by the UK government to support the return of powersharing being restored, however, it will only cover one year.

PFNI Chair Liam Kelly stated that whilst the allocation is "heartening news", there is now an expectation that officers in Northern Ireland will get an increase like their counterparts in England and Wales.

He said: “Our officers have been patiently waiting since last September for a pay increase. Counterparts in England and Wales received a 7% increase and the expectation is that our men and women will get the same.

“This allocation opens the door for the police officers pay recommendations to be ratified by the Justice Minister and I share the view of the Northern Ireland Executive that this process should be concluded as quickly as possible.

“To that end, I have written to the Justice Minister to request a meeting and bring the outstanding pay recommendations to a speedy conclusion. There are no negotiation elements in our pay process so this ratification should not be delayed any further. I don’t believe it’s unreasonable to expect that our colleagues should see the increase, and their backdated pay, in their March payslips.

“The new pay award process gets underway next month for 2024/25 and it’s in the interests of the Justice Minister, the Department and police officers that this is conducted and concluded without having to experience excessive delay once again.

“Our officers deserve to be treated fairly and this allocation made to the Department is a clear acknowledgement by the Northern Ireland Executive that police officers and all public sector workers deserved better."

Elsewhere, £296.8 million was allocated to the Department of Education, but Justin McCamphill, of the NASUWT teachers' union warned that a potential pay offer still might not be enough to stop further industrial action.

He explained: "While this is a significant amount of money, teachers and FE lecturers will want to see how much is going to be offered to them to settle their pay disputes before deciding if there is enough to prevent further industrial action.

"Teachers have not had a pay increase at all for three years while FE lecturer's pay has fallen significantly behind that of their colleagues in schools. This is our number one concern going into any pay negotiations."

Meanwhile, SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA has called on the Executive to conclude public sector pay agreements at the first opportunity.

“Now that money has been allocated to resolve public sector pay disputes, we need to see Stormont Ministers act with speed to get trade unions around the table and reach an agreement that recognises the pressures facing staff and averts further industrial action.

“I note that there is a £12m shortfall in the money allocated for public sector pay, and I would urge the Executive to do everything within their power to ensure that every single worker gets the uplift they deserve. Nobody is immune to the financial pressures facing families here and nobody can be left behind."