Petition Your MP!

A letter template has been created by the Metropolitan Police Federation Constables Branch enabling you to send this letter to your local MP. you can use the link www.theyworkforyou.com and fill in your post code to see who your MP is. There is a link on that page enabling you to send the MP an email. My MP replied personally by letter when the POLFED asked us to petition the MP's at the start of all this.

This is the letter, please feel free to copy and paste it

Dear [MP]

RE: 2007 Police Pay Award

I am writing to you as a serving police officer to express my anger and
disgust at the underhanded behaviour displayed by the Home Secretary in reaction
to the decision of the Police Arbitration Tribunal to award police officers a
2.5% pay increase.

It appears that Jaqui Smith has performed a far from magical sleight of
hand in which the 2.5% will not be back dated to lst September but instead will
be paid from the 1st of December, thus representing an insulting 1.9% increase -
a lower award than any other emergency service or public sector body in England
and Wales.

What justification can there be for this action? If ACPO and the APA
think that 2.5% is affordable and should be backdated to 1st September then why
doesn't the Home Secretary?
Has she forgotten the unique status of police
officers who have forfeited the right to strike in order to serve the public? In
the absence of this right, we don't even havearbitration that is binding on the
Home Secretary. Is she unaware that police officers face a level of restriction
in their private life far exceeding that of any other publicsector worker?

Can she not understand the increasing level of danger police officers
face each day? To compare us as she has with other public sector workers such as
teachers and nurses shows a high degree of either misinformation or
ignorance.

I wish to convey to you the sense of outrage that this action has
created throughout the police service, a service that is able to function as it
does due to the sense ofduty and goodwill of officers.

Whilst it is difficult to diminish that sense of duty theactions of the
Home Secretary has put the goodwill in serious jeopardy. Officers face a prison
sentence if they take strike action but for many of them this is a path they
feel they may have to consider if this situation is not resolved.
I therefore
seek your support in this matter by signing the Early Day Motions 494 and 512
and urge you to pass on to your colleagues in Westminster the strength of
feeling of the police officers of England and Wales.

Yours sincerely,