Dear Members,
This morning the NCOA entered formal dispute with the NCA regarding its failure to pay CSERB RRA Payments to a group of members.
Operation Anchorwise (Demand to CSERB) is a high priority activity for the NCA.
Following a challenge by the NCOA, the Agency have already agreed to pay all officers who are/have previously been formally surged to CSERB an RRA payment (pro-rata as appropriate).
It is known that a much larger group of officers including those in (but not limited to) – Intelligence, Investigations and Threat Leadership, are required to dedicate a significant amount of time supporting CSERB, without being formally surged.
Amongst this group are officers who as part of the support they provide, are regularly exposed to CSA material. The NCA has decided not to pay RRA payments to this group. This is even though it is accepted that the scale and complexity of the work they are undertaking in support of Op Anchorwise, is beyond that would reasonably be expected of them as part of their normal NCA work.
The NCOA have challenged this decision as unfair. On the 17th June 2025 the NCOA escalated this claim for equal pay to a formal meeting of the Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committee (JNCC). Further meetings will now take place with the NCA Executive Leadership with the aim of resolving this dispute.
We have estimated that the non-payment of these RRA’s (including appropriate back payments) amounts to at least £60,000.
Earlier enquiries have identified an initial group of members affected. The NCOA are encouraging any member who has/is currently supporting CSERB Op Anchorwise to
complete this survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8QJZCBC.
There is no requirement for members who previously completed the original survey to provide updated information.
Last week the Agency published information regarding the 2025/26 NCA pay award which included information on a proposed review of RRA payments. The NCOA has expressed significant concerns over any substantive change which would deliver RRA payments to fewer officers, when there is no clarity on whether pay reform is currently achievable. Any significant change at this point could result in many of our members losing their RRA payments and break the Agency commitment that,
‘no officer would be financially worse off as a result of pay reform.’
The NCOA will update any affected Members on both the on-going dispute and engagement on the review of RRA payments.
Steve Bond
General Secretary NCOA