Nottinhamshire Police Staff Strike 

31st August 2011

UNISON chief gives full support to striking Nottinghamshire police workers

The General Secretary of UNISON, the UK’s largest union, today pledged the union’s full support to police staff in Nottinghamshire, striking over job cuts and restructuring.

 More than 1000 police staff are taking part in the 24-hour stoppage, including PCSOs, call handlers, administrators, and custody officers, with further action scheduled for Friday.

 120 police staff in Nottinghamshire have already lost their jobs. The force has identified 746 more jobs as at risk, as it attempts to save £46 million over 4 years.

 The union is calling on the force to go to arbitration to resolve the dispute, as it believes the job cuts are not being made on a fair or equal basis.

 Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:  

“The union is full square behind members in Nottinghamshire Police Force taking action over job cuts and restructuring today. It is not only their livelihoods on the line – it is community safety.

“Police staff are dedicated public service workers – they do not want to go on strike, but they have been left with little choice. Today’s action shows just how bad industrial relations In Nottinghamshire Police have become.

 “More than 100 police staff have already lost their jobs, and another 746 are at risk of redundancy. Police staff do vital jobs in our communities and in every police force – taking 999 calls, doing forensic investigations, and liaising with victims of crime.

“These cuts are not being made on a fair or equal basis. We are urging the force to get into talks through arbitration and avoid any further action.

“Police forces up and down the country are making massive cutbacks, as a result of the 20% budget cuts meted out by the Tory-led coalition. This will lead to the loss of a shocking 16,000 police staff and 1,800 police community support officers. There is no doubt that cuts on this scale will see our streets become less safe. We are calling on the government to think again.”

 UNISON has more than 1000 police staff members in Nottinghamshire Police force, doing jobs including Scenes of Crime Officers, Forensic staff, Custody and Detention officers, PCSOs, Crime Reduction Managers, Front Counter Staff, Call Centre staff, and Vehicle Examiners, as well as many other professional, technical, admin and clerical staff.