Dear Member,
We thank you for your continued efforts to make it clear that the failure to deliver your pay award is wholly unacceptable. Over the past few weeks we have provided some suggestions on how you can withdraw goodwill to make your views known. We really do think it is important your stance is an obvious one rather than leaving it to interpretation, and we are buoyed by reports coming into us from members who are articulating their position very clearly within professional and polite emails to managers and peers alike.
We are also aware of how often our members normally respond to emails out of hours, without being paid, just to, ‘get the job done’. During this period of withdrawal of goodwill, you may wish instead to apply an ‘out of office’ message to your NCA email along the following lines:
Thank you for your email.
As a member of the National Crime Officers’ Association, I have now withdrawn my goodwill due to the ongoing lack of a pay award to NCA Officers in 2022/23.
As I am currently off duty, I will not be responding to emails, phone calls or messages until I am next on duty.
You can learn more about the delays to the NCA pay award at www.ncoa.org.uk
You may recall that the Agency was required to present a ‘Pay-flex’ case to help influence the final outcome of your pay award. Although we have previously asked for this, nothing has been forthcoming from the Agency. This morning, we wrote formally to your employer to ask, in the interests of transparency, that their ‘Pay-flex’ case is shared with us. Additionally, the evolving humanitarian crisis in Turkey, escalation in Ukraine and now the emerging tensions between China and America provide clear rationale for not relying on a precious time slot in parliament next week. We therefore also asked why there is currently no appetite to mirror the 2019 mechanism to deliver a much-needed pay award?
The Agency response is as follows;
‘Pay-flex’ case
‘As with all pay flexibility cases these cannot be shared as they are advice to Ministers and senior officials in H.M. Treasury and Cabinet Office. This is the case not just for NCA but all other departments that have produced pay flex cases. I can reassure you that there are no commitments to H.M. Treasury or Cabinet Office on future pay and the case made was as outlined to you to on the basis of the operational difficulties that a split award would cause to NCA’.
2019 Pay Award Mechanism
‘By convention the Government response has been made public by means of a written ministerial statement. Due to the very short timescale for implementation there may be a variance to that procedure this year’.
and
It is unlikely to be necessary this year as all of the arrangements can be concluded prior to payment on 24th February’.
It is our opinion that variance to ‘convention’ seems far more appropriate given the urgency and obvious jeopardy but, it is refreshing that the Agency may finally (and sensibly) be coming round to our way of thinking.
We will keep you updated with any developments on your pay award as we receive them.
Thank you again for your support.
Simon Boon
NCOA General Secretary