Right to strike should accompany future redundancy plans

IF THE Government want the power to make police officers redundant, then British Bobbies must have the right to strike, Essex Police Federation have said.

Home Secretary Theresa May told the Superintendents’ Association Annual Conference this month that compulsory severance for police officers “remains on the table”.

And chief officers are “reluctantly” considering asking for the power.

“We’re not employees, we’re servants of the Crown and that’s why we’re treated differently,” said Chairman Mark Smith.

“Compulsory severance should not even be an option, we’re a special case, we do not have contracts.

“If compulsory severance is introduced for police officers, then we start getting back into the realms of industrial rights, employment rights and contracts.

If legislation is changed to introduce a power to make police officers redundant, would the Federation be justified in asking for industrial rights/the power to strike?

“Well if we’re being treated like any other employee then surely we should have everything else that goes with being an employee,” added Mr Smith (pictured).

“At the moment we’re not employees, we’re not treated as employees, and as I said we’re Crown servants, covered by the regulations. The Government can’t say, ‘These are the Police Regulations, we’re going to change the Regulations, and you can’t do this, you can’t belong to a union’.

“You can’t have it all ways, either we are employees and we have everything that goes with being an employee, which includes compulsory severance or redundancy as it would be, or we’re not employees and we are servants of the Crown, and we’re protected that way through the Police Regulations.

“I don’t think you should be able to pick and mix.”