"Call centre staff at the Metropolitan Police have gone on strike on one of the busiest nights of the year for first responders in London. The strike was announced by trade union Unite, which said that about 175 members would be taking industrial action from 6am on New Year's Eve. This not only involved call handlers for the Met, but also technicians and office staff who help service and dispatch police vehicles."
"Unite said its members voted for strike action due to grievances about pay, alleging they had not received an increase in pay for 2025-26, despite Met police officers having their pay increased by 4.2%, just like all other forces in the UK. The union said it had put forward offers to leaders, one was a "below-RPI pay increase" of 3.8%, or a 4.2% offer "conditional on workers accepting vastly inferior conditions"."
"A spokesperson for the Met Police said the "vast majority of our staff will be working alongside their police officer colleagues" and they "do not anticipate" service being disrupted beyond normal levels for New Year's Eve. The spokesperson said: "New Year's Eve is one of the largest annual policing operations in the capital, "We are experienced and well-prepared for all eventualities, ensuring we balance the policing of this major event with maintaining our wider service to the public.""
About 175 Metropolitan Police call-centre staff will strike from 6am on New Year's Eve, including call handlers, technicians and office staff who service and dispatch police vehicles. Members voted for industrial action over pay grievances, alleging no pay increase for 2025-26 while Met officers received a 4.2% rise. The union offered a 3.8% below-RPI increase or a 4.2% offer conditional on workers accepting inferior conditions. New Year's Eve is one of the busiest nights for the Met and last year's celebrations cost almost £2.3m. The union warned of disruption and potential delays to emergency call-outs. The Met expects most staff to work and plans widespread officer deployment across all 32 boroughs.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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