Justice Minister Naomi Long offers new date for fresh meeting with union ahead of PSNI staff strike
Justice Minister Naomi Long
Justice Minister Naomi Long has said diary commitments have prevented her meeting union officials this week ahead of a planned PSNI civilian staff walkout.
According to the union, the leader of Alliance will be the only party absent from the meeting aimed at “resolving the dispute” which is set to take place on Wednesday July 3.
PSNI staff are set to stage a 24-hour walk-out ahead of the Orange Order parades on July 12, after members voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of the action last month.
Around 1,500 staff working in custody suites, crime scenes and call handling could take part in the action.
The union said the strike centres on the issue of “revised environmental allowance” (REA) which is more commonly known as “danger money”.
Police civilian staff are calling for an uplift to their £580 annual REA, which was committed to five years ago.
Mrs Long, whose department provides the PSNI budget, previously said the PSNI had “not demonstrated that the uplift is affordable”.
In a statement the union said that since the strike ballot, meetings with the Department of Justice, the Chief Constable and Policing Board had taken place.
The union said it had a “positive meeting, with a view to resolving the dispute” with Mrs Long on June 20.
“With the information provided to us during the meeting with the minister, NIPSA then briefed the chief Cctable and NIPB (policing board). NIPSA were confident of finding a resolution to the issue based on this information,” they added.
But the union said that the minister has since “disputed our recollection of our discussion with her”.
“NIPSA find this surprising, given that we have fully briefed the minister on the potential issues which could affect policing during industrial action,” they said.
“Police Staff make up 25% of policing in Northern Ireland, with many in key roles that will be severely impacted by any industrial action.
“The Department of Justice are aware of the financial cost, the potential danger to the public and the danger to our officer colleagues and other blue light agencies that this pending industrial action could bring but have refused to engage further on the issue.”
The union said that it had since requested an “urgent round table meeting” with the minister, the chief constable and the NIPB management but that Mrs Long had “declined to attend”.
NIPSA said it remains committed to “engaging to resolve this dispute” but is preparing members for strike action.
In a statement on Tuesday Mrs Long said she could not attend the meeting due to “diary pressures”.
“I do not underestimate the frustration staff feel or the crucial roles police staff undertake across the organisation. I recognise that they are performing key functions, including direct frontline roles such as fingerprint staff and crime scene investigators. The decision by police civilian staff to take industrial action is regrettable.”
“I had a positive meeting with NIPSA on 20 June.
“However as I am unable to attend the meeting on the suggested date of 3 July, due to diary pressures, I have offered an alternative date.
Given the urgency of the REA issue and my commitment to do all I can to assist with resolution, I remain very keen to find a time that is mutually convenient and have offered a meeting on Monday 8 July. This date is in advance of the Industrial Action.
“I am committed to working with the chief constable, Policing Board and NIPSA to find a solution.”