PCS union says Met Police staff are due to take strike action
(MENAFN) Civilian employees of the Metropolitan Police are set to stage a strike on 5 November, one of the force’s busiest nights of the year, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has announced.
Those taking part include 999 call handlers, detention officers, police community support officers, and staff working across vetting, intelligence, forensics, counterterrorism, and human resources. The strike is expected to force the redeployment of police officers to cover critical roles, increasing costs for taxpayers.
The dispute stems from the Met’s refusal to grant police staff a London allowance similar to the $1,590 payment given to officers.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Rent, mortgage repayments, food prices and energy bills have been rising for everyone in London – so why does the Met treat its civilian staff differently to officers? Removing police officers from front-line duties is both negligent and careless. The Met has deliberately ignored our practical solutions, aware that its continued commitment to a two-tier workforce would lead to strikes.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said that while the force “genuinely value officers and staff equally,” differences in pay and allowances reflect “the differences in roles, responsibilities and expectations.”
“In a shrinking Met with a £260m ($330 million) budget gap, we cannot justify spending millions to give staff the $1,590 award, as there are not the same recruitment and retention challenges,” the spokesperson explained.
They added that the Met had made “a reasonable alternative offer to the trade unions to settle the dispute” and remained open to negotiations. “We are stepping up our plans to minimise any impact on Londoners and continue to serve the public – the foremost duty of all our officers and staff,” the spokesperson said.
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