Yesterday morning, the organisation provided you with an update on Pay Reform, a priority for the Director General and her team.
There is nothing within the document which places us in conflict with the employer, indeed we applaud Lynne’s determination to deliver pay reform with significant Government opposition to anything other than 1% pay awards until 2019/20. We also support any pay reform which is equitable, transparent, fair, flexible and reflective of the skills and experience of its staff both now and in the future.
We are wholly confident through our engagement with the NCA that they are doing their absolute best to seek endorsement of a proposal which can deliver benefits to the majority of staff. However, they now have an extremely difficult task to convince HM Treasury to agree to its implementation even if it is proven to be both affordable and necessary.
The NCOA have repeatedly stated at successive annual pay reviews (powers or not) that the pay structure of 2006 is out of date and will not allow the NCA to compete for, or retain, the best candidates. The Agency now agrees with this position. Following this concession last year, the NCARRB has been very clear;
‘the current pay system requires reform. In our view, the system is flawed and pay reform needs to be progressed with some urgency to sustain operational capability and to avoid undermining the NCA’s aims to be a world class crime-fighting Agency’.
We have now reached a strong position where the NCOA, the NCA, the NCARRB and most importantly NCA staff all agree that the current pay system is flawed and needs to be changed. Unfortunately this widespread agreement is not enough and Home Office support must be secured to deliver meaningful pay reform.
The organisation has stated very clearly within its communication that it is doing what it can to build an understanding of the challenges being faced amongst key stakeholders and decision-makers. We recognise this is critical to success and are playing our part to ensure that those who are able to influence matters have a clear understanding of the real issues faced by an agency with a failing pay structure.
To that end I have written to the Home Secretary today to highlight the issues currently being faced and the concerns we have for the future if pay reform were to fail, despite widespread support including that of the independent National Crime Agency Remuneration and Review Body.
Simon Boon National Secretary