THOUSANDS of police officers in Northern Ireland are to receive a backdated pay rise this month.
Liam Kelly, chair of the Police Federation of Northern Ireland, said the pay would be backdated to September and came as “an immense relief to hard-pressed officers.”
“We’ve been arguing for ratification of this pay award for months and I’m delighted it’s now coming through to our men and women,” he said.
“The thousands on lower pay scales will breathe a sigh of relief. Coming as it does in the face of Christmas, this increase will make a big difference to officers and their families.”
Thanking the chief constable and Stormont ministers, who awarded an extra £36.7m in the October monitoring rounds, he also welcomed that a “disastrous” break in pay parity with England and Wales had been avoided.
