Claire Trevett: Police Association puts Mark Mitchell in a bind over pay negotiations

OPINION

The Police Association has got the National Government over a bit of a barrel when it comes to salary negotiations for police, and Police Minister Mark Mitchell knows it.

The head of the Police Association, Chris Cahill, has played a blinder when it comes to ramping up public sympathy for his cause in negotiations, leaving Mitchell unable to say much in response other than that negotiations are ongoing and he’s bound by Cabinet collectivity – which is the rule that ministers have to stay schtum about what stoushes might have played out in Cabinet, and take a united front.

When a minister who is widely viewed as an advocate for the Police – and a former Police officer himself – pulls out the line that he can’t give his view because of Cabinet collectivity, it’s a fair bet that he’s had an argument inside that Cabinet and come up against a brick wall.

That wall would be in the form of Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who’s having to confront her own election campaign promises in the form of expensive tax cuts and a fiscal plan that has quickly started to show cracks now that she’s in Government.

So Mitchell won’t necessarily be unhappy that it looks like the Police Association has got him on the back foot: if it looks bad for the Government, it ramps up the pressure on that government and gives him more grist to push for in Cabinet.

And that pressure is indeed mounting. Cahill has done three cunning things.

First, he pointed to the fact National was busy merrily re-writing the job description for police in its 100 days stampede, adding extra duties. Those police will soon be required to go on gang patch patrols and tell gangs they have to disperse. They have also been told they have to up the game when it comes to traffic enforcement: the Government’s draft plan for transport includes greater enforcement of things such as speeding, and higher fees.

As Cahill pointed out on ZB this morning, Mike Hosking is now doing extra duties by subbing in for Kate Hawkesby on the early morning hour, and presumably getting compensated for it.

Second, he noted Mitchell’s own campaign promises rely very heavily on the Police to deliver.

Mitchell and National are now feeling the consequences of that election campaign, for which law and order was a central plank. Mitchell campaigned so strongly on making New Zealand a safer place that he even staked his job on it – saying he would resign if it didn’t happen on his watch.

Police Association president Chris Cahill says the latest offer is insulting. Photo / Mark Mitchell

That’s all well and good: but it leaves his fate in the hands of the police - the only group that can make that dream come true are the police on the beat.

And by dint of the NZ First coalition agreement, Mitchell is also expected to recruit and train 500 more police officers than would normally be trained. Cue the reminders of the problems here: better pay in Australia and difficulties recruiting and retaining officers.

Third, Cahill has drawn the comparison of Police wages with nurses’ wages, noting that after their own settlement last year, police wages for comparable years in service are well behind those of nurses.

When it comes to negotiations for front-line roles in the public sector, getting public sympathy on your side can do wonders.

Nurses and police – the two groups that look after people - are pretty much top of the ladder when it comes to being able to harness that public sympathy.

And as Luxon and Mitchell will know, the salary for a police recruit is about the same as the accommodation allowance a minister can claim on top of their salary to pay for accommodation in Wellington. They will just be hoping the Remuneration Authority does not drop its determination on MPs’ wages for the next three years anytime soon.

Labour will be greatly enjoying all of this, given its finance spokesman Grant Robertson told Willis during that campaign that the fiscal plan had under-costed things in a number of areas and had failed to take account of things such as, oh, wage increases for nurses and police.

Police are being asked to take on more responsibilities by this Government, particularly concerning the enforcement of gangs. Photo / Bevan Conley

Mitchell has had a wee moan at having to deal with the situation at all, saying the negotiations should have been wrapped up before the change in government but had not been.

He may well reflect that it suited both the Police Association and the Labour Government to push that settlement out – precisely so that it was lumped into Mitchell’s lap instead.

Thanks largely to Mitchell’s “soft on crime” attacks, Labour was already in trouble when it came to perceptions of its approach to law and order – a paltry offer for Police would have done little to help that.

Cahill would have reckoned that there was a chance of a better deal under National than Labour.

The way things are playing out, that will prove to be right.

Cahill has played his cards very well.