Question
At 1 in 5, NI continues to have the highest number of jobs paid below the real Living Wage in the UK. To be an accredited Living Wage organisation an employer commits to paying all directly and indirectly employed staff the real Living Wage.
Given that 23 policing organisations are already accredited as Living Wage Employers on these islands, would the Chief Constable explore whether the PSNI will become a Living Wage employer?
Answer
Living Wage accreditation recognises employers who:
- Pay the real living wage rate to all directly employed staff
- Commit to paying the living wage to regularly contracted staff or have a clear roll out plan to do so
- Implement the new Living Wage (as announced each autumn) within therequired timeframe (typically by 1 May following announcement)
- Identify contracts that need to be uplifted and set milestone dates for bringing contracted staff up to the rate
1. Pay the real living wage to all directly employed staff
The Real Living Wage (LW) is a voluntary rate, higher than the statutory legal minimum, set by the Living Wage Foundation. It is calculated to reflect the actual cost of living. The rate increased on the 22nd October 2025 to £13.45ph.
Currently PSNI pay well above the Real Living Wage for the lowest officer rank, however the very recently updated rate exceeds the current hourly rate for the lowest Police Staff grade by 4p per hour. Rank/Grade Annual Salary Hours
| Rank/Grade | Annual Salary | Hours per week | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
Student Officer (Wef 01 Sept 2024) | £29,907 | 40 | £14.38 |
Admin Assistant (Wef 01 Aug 2025) | £25,796 | 37 | £13.41 |
Police Officer salaries are proposed by the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and confirmed by the Department of Justice (NI) and the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
Police Staff salaries are set by the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) pay. The NICS received accreditation as a Living Wage Employer in 2021 and as Police Staff are contractually entitled to the same rate of pay, this means that PSNI are bound to that commitment for Police Staff.
Although PSNI currently exceeds the Real Living Wage for Police Officers, pay awards for Police Officers are made by the Department of Justice. Whilst PSNI will continue to advocate for fair and appropriate pay it cannot guarantee compliance with the thresholds for accreditation as pay awards are determined by the Minister of Justice for Police Officers, and by the Northern Ireland Civil Service, for Police Staff.
2. Commit to paying the living wage to regularly contracted staff or have a clear roll out plan to do so.
3. Identify contracts that need to be uplifted and set milestone dates for bringing contracted staff up to the rate
Procurement in the public sector is governed by the Public Procurement Policy Statement issued by the Northern Ireland Executive. One of the four Public
Procurement Principles, Social Value, requires that contracted staff are paid the Real Living Wage for relevant contracts therefore PSNI would be able to satisfy these criteria.
4. Implement the new Living Wage (as announced each autumn) within the required timeframe (typically 1 May following announcement).
PSNI are unable to implement any changes for Police Officers without approval from the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance. As such, the timeframes for implementation are outside of PSNI control.
Summary
In summary, PSNI exceeds the Real Living Wage for Officers and abides by the Public Sector Procurement Policy in respect of living wage requirements for contracts. Since 22 October 2025, the lowest paid Police Staff are now slightly below the Real Living Wage (4p). PSNI do not have autonomy to uplift this outside of the currently agreed pay framework. The NICS Pay Award date has recently shifted to 1 April
2026, and given NICS Living Wage accreditation, it is fair to assume that this rate will be implemented at the next pay award announcement, however PSNI has no advance knowledge, nor influence, as to when this might be.
Providing a forward commitment to meeting the Real Living Wage and the implementation timeframe requirement is not currently within our control. PSNI will engage with the Real Living Wage Foundation to establish whether these limitations exclude us from eligibility.
Peter Osborne