Today the NCA Remuneration Review Body published its recommendations for the pay of NCA officers for 2020/21. These recommendations have been ratified by HM Government. The NCOA will now engage formally with the agency to ensure that the recommendations are accepted on behalf of all NCA officers whether they have powers or not and that all officers on NCA Terms and Conditions receive their pay uplift in August 2020.
Whilst the overall increase in the NCA pay bill is in line with the Civil Service guidelines of 2.5%, an unequal allocation will see some NCA officers receiving in excess of 4% whilst others only a meagre 1.5% increase. With this low 1.5% pay uplift to the pay range maximums, the gap between NCA and Police Pay will widen even further. We are pleased to see that the NCARRB did not agree with the agency, that a proportion of the award should have only been non–consolidated (non–pensionable) but agreed with the case made by the NCOA for consolidated pay awards only.
The agency should now reflect on this assessment by the NCARRB and accept that the capping of the standard pay ranges is not appropriate and abandon this aspect of its pay reform plan. The NCARRB have now rejected this flawed NCA strategy for the fourth time following consistent criticism by the NCOA.
The extension of SR pay to other grades is welcomed, although it is disappointing that G6’s have yet again been excluded from this clear opportunity for pay progression. In the coming days, the agency will publish its pay calculator and those officers in appropriate roles in G3 to G1 will asked to decide whether to accept a move to SR pay or not.
In its formal engagement with the agency, the NCOA has been clear in its opposition to the loss of overtime for G3’s as well as the introduced contractual ‘enhanced flexibility’. Even at this late stage the agency has been unable to explain what exactly ‘enhanced flexibility’ means. We await this with interest given the Agency’s very clear message barely two years ago that it (along with a shift to modernised terms and conditions) would not form part of contractual changes linked to Spot Rates for Grades 4 & 5.
Rather than marginalising senior grades who opt to move to Spot Rates, we hope that the agency will see sense and remove unfair and ambiguous conditions.
The agency has extended the ‘opt in ‘window until the end of August whilst consultation with us continues. The NCOA have recommended that if the agency seeks flexibility from officers, rather than seek contractual flexibility, it simply extends the payment of on-call allowances to all officers.
The tardiness of the agency to undertake a review of geographical allowances has obviously tested the patience of the NCARRB who have recommended a 2.5% uplift in London Weighting Allowance in line with the evidence from the NCOA, rather than 1.5% sought by the agency. The NCOA will continue to push the agency on a much-needed review of both London and potential regional allowances.
Your NEC will continue to keep you updated on the progress of the pay engagement with the agency, which has now started. This will also include the uplifts to T & S rates which have been agreed with the agency following a review initiated by the NCOA.
A full copy of the NCARRB recommendations can be found at National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body report: 2020
Steve BOND
National Officer
NCOA.