Police anger over teachers' pay

The decision to stage the pay rise has infuriated officers

Police will be "absolutely furious" teachers are to get a pay rise above the 2% limit set for public workers this year, a police body says.

The government has announced teachers will get a 2.45% increase, as part of a three-year offer.

The Police Federation of England and Wales said it blew "out of the water" government arguments that pay rises must be kept lower to curb inflation.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls called the teachers' offer "fair and affordable".

The Police Federation passed a vote of no-confidence in Home Secretary Jacqui Smith last year after she staged their 2.5% award to keep it below the government's 2% inflation target.

'Government spin'

Chairman Jan Berry said officers would now be "absolutely furious" that the government was prepared to break its target for teachers, by giving them an unstaged 2.45% increase.

She added: "This announcement blows out of the water the government's own spin that public sector pay awards above 2% will fuel inflation...

This will further increase the anger and betrayal police officers already feel Jan Berry Police Federation

"How does this fit with us being told police pay was being suppressed because it's the first in the public sector pay settlements this year? What rubbish.

"I have no doubt the teachers' ability to take strike action influenced the government's decision to pay in full the recommendation of their pay review body.

"This will further increase the anger and betrayal police officers already feel."

But Mr Balls said that the deal was "consistent with the achievement of the CPI inflation target of 2%".

A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman indicated that it did not mean the breaching of any pay limit.

He said: "What the prime minister said was that going forward, public sector pay increases must be consistent with keeping inflation at 2%.

"This is the first of the settlements he was referring to. He didn't say public sector pay would have to be 2%."

Budgets

The teachers' pay announcement marks the first of a new round of multi-year settlements which the government is trying to agree with public sector workers.

Ministers say this will keep inflation down and help departments plan their budgets more effectively.

The government is coming under increasing pressure from unions in other sectors over its 2% ceiling.

In December, police officers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were awarded a 2.5% pay rise but the Police Federation claims it was effectively only a 1.9% rise because the home secretary refused to backdate it to September.

The Scottish Government did agree to backdate the rise to September, as recommended by the Police Arbitration Tribunal.