MINISTERS are at the centre of new row over a failure to engage over public sector pay disputes as police officers consider industrial action in rejecting a "derisory" flat £565 annual pay rise after the sanctioning of train drivers getting increases of up to 10%.
The First Minister and the finance secretary Kate Forbes have already come under fire for refusing to engage in discussions with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) on improved funding as concerns rise that cuts will hit public services and have a "significant impact" on an ongoing pay dispute.
Now the Scottish Police Federation has accused ministers of spin by wrongly stating that negotiations are ongoing over their pay dispute.
It comes in the wake of an angry backlash after ministers agreed a "breakthrough" 5% pay deal with train drivers union Aslef which could end a row which has led to major cuts to nationalised ScotRail services.
The included a “top-up revenue sharing arrangement” that could potentially raise the pay increase to nearly 10% which would apply where revenue targets are exceeded.
The prospect of thousands of Scots local authority workers from cleaners and binmen to care workers and school staff going on strike this summer in pay disputes has come even closer as three key unions Unison, GMB and Unite prepare for strike ballots over a 2.2% offer.
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) turned down the pay deal saying there was "palpable anger" among officers.
It's general secretary Calum Steele has called on ministers to "stop the spin" and accused Scottish Government spokespeople of "misinformed laziness" in saying negotiations were ongoing. He said they needed to update their statements before it "starts to look like a deliberate lie".
Mr Steele said: "There have been no negotiations. Negotiations are not ongoing. There is no dialogue. You cannot negotiate by yourself. "It is time for the Scottish Government to abandon the match they are currently clinging to like a lifebelt, stop the spin and start to talk."
He added: "It's bad enough to see the Scottish Government line having no relationship to the truth. But when Police Scotland simply repeats the same, it reinforces a denial of reality and shows a disturbing lack of appreciation of the scale of police officer anger."
The SPF said police would not sit back while faced with a "wall of silence" from the government and any action they took would be "impactful".
The dispute between the "official side" - the Scottish Police Authority, Police Scotland and Scottish government ministers - and staff is being handled by the Police Negotiating Board.
Members of the force are restricted on how they can protest, for legal reasons, but Mr Steele said SPF members were willing to take action “for many months” unless “significant improvement” is made.
The SPF, which represents all officers of varying ranks, asked for 3.4%.
It said the current offer amounted to about 2% for most members and 1% for its higher-earning members.
Last year officers received a £700 pay rise and a separate non-consolidated payment of £250.
Action that would close schools is already being threatened as unions representing public sector staff fight for the same treatment as train drivers - despite huge cuts in public spending.
Public services in Scotland are braced for “brutal” cuts after ministers unveiled spending plan just over a week ago that will slash more than £1 billion from key areas including councils and the police.
Last week COSLA has expressed "deep disappointment" that the First Minister and Ms Forbes refused a request from all council leaders to engage in discussions regarding the current settlement for local government and its "significant impact on our ongoing pay negotiations".
And a last-ditch attempt by unions to avert industrial action in a letter to Ms Sturgeon and Ms Forbes also failed.
In a joint letter, signed by the unions Unison, Unite and GMB, said industrial action “would close schools across the country and see waste piling up on the streets” if a resolution was not reached.
A senior union member has already said that Scottish teachers will go on strike if pay talks over a 2% pay hike do not lead to an acceptable agreement. The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) “instantly” rejected the offer and are seeking a 10% rise while inflation is at at 9%, its fastest rate for 40 years.
On Thursday, negotiators for the train drivers' union Aslef who have been in the depths of their own pay dispute decided to recommend acceptance of the pay deal that could mean an annual rise of 10% for some after negotiations with the nationalised rail operator's management. It is to be put to drivers.
Union sources have said that the development clearly showed that the 2.2% offer to tens of thousands of public sector staff for 2022/23 was inadequate.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We remain committed, through the Police Negotiating Board, to seeking a settlement.”
A Scottish Government spokesman added: “Police Officer pay is negotiated through the Police Negotiating Board (PNB), as it has been for many years. The PNB process is ongoing in relation to pay for 2022/23, therefore it is not appropriate for Scottish Government to comment.”
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