Staff members of the Metropolitan Police have decided to pause their planned strike in anticipation of a vote concerning a new salary proposal.
The strike, initially scheduled from January 19 to 24, was expected to involve 175 Unite union members, which included call center operators responsible for documenting crime reports, technicians, and administrative personnel assisting with the maintenance and dispatch of police vehicles.
The union announced that discussions with the police force had led to “an enhanced pay proposal,” and they would be allowing members to vote on it.
Keith Henderson, a regional officer for Unite, stated, “After a significant advancement in talks, we have reached an agreement to halt the planned strike to give our members the opportunity to decide on this offer.”
Unite had previously indicated that police personnel within the force had received “a subpar pay increase” compared to the 4.2% raise offered to other staff and officers across UK police forces.
Union members turned down two earlier proposals: a 3.8% raise, which fell short of the retail price index, and a 4.2% offer attached to the condition that workers would have to forfeit their existing terms and conditions.
The Metropolitan Police refuted this claim, asserting that they had merely requested some terms and conditions be “updated” to ensure fairness and consistency throughout the organization.
A representative from the Met Police had remarked earlier that the force was “willing to seek a resolution.”