police - civilian staff walk out
WORKERS, JUNE 2005 ISSUE
Devon and Cornwall Police carried out an amazing climb-down after threatened pay cuts of up to £8,000 a year prompted an unprecedented outcry among 600 civilian support staff.
Staff abandoned their posts in protests in Plymouth, Launceston, Camborne and at the force's Middlemoor headquarters in Exeter when they learned of the proposed cuts. More than 400 support staff, including forensic staff, mechanics, traffic wardens and switchboard operators, gathered outside the force's headquarters. The local press reported that single mothers wept as they faced the prospect of salary cuts, with many wondering how they would avoid losing their homes.
Staff were planning strike action but after meeting with the Police Authority, union representatives and fellow police officers, Chief Constable Maria Wallis announced a dramatic U-turn, allowing staff who had been threatened with pay cuts to retain their current level of earnings. Those recommended for pay increases will receive them with effect from 1 April this year.
Wallis admitted that the year-long evaluation exercise had cost £1.5 million but claimed the money had been spent on wage increases rather than the evaluation itself. She said that there would be an independent inquiry into why the evaluation took the route it did.