PSNI officers reject Blunkett's pay offer

Officers serving in the Police Service of Northern Ireland have voted overwhelmingly to reject a controversial new pay package.

Officers were asked to consider a package increasing basic police salaries by £400 a year, but reducing overtime rates and allowances. They would also have been required to work more flexibly.

More than 64 per cent of the 7,000 officers in Northern Ireland voted in the ballot and the voted returned an almost 90 per cent majority against Home Secretary David Blunkett's offer.

Like results voting against the pay deal came in from England, Scotland and Wales.

Mr Jimmy Spratt, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said the result was no surprise. "We warned the Government that this package would not be accepted by officers. We negotiated the package as far as we could but we have made it clear that we were not in agreement with its contents. It therefore came as no surprise to us that the membership have rejected it."

Mr Spratt said the vote had provided a clear mandate for the Federation's position, which, he said, would be taken back to Government.

The results of the votes across the UK have to be reported to a meeting of the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) on Monday 25 February.

The Constitution of the PNB dictates that should there be no agreement, the process moves to conciliation and arbitration.

However, Mr Blunkett has warned that if there were a 'no' vote it would be "disastrous" for the police service.

(AMcE)