POLICE help desk staff across West Yorkshire are to be asked if they would be prepared to take strike action over a planned cut to their shift allowance, says UNISON.

A review by West Yorkshire Police is proposing to get rid of unsociable hours shifts and it's claimed this could leave more than 50 employees £4,648 a year worse off.

Until now, staff have received an allowance on top of their basic salary for working evenings or weekends.

A planned restructuring of the help desk rota pattern will do away with this allowance.

UNISON says this loss in earnings could have a major impact on employees, and that staff could end up working beyond their normal shift but only get paid overtime.

Help desk workers provide a vital service for the community, dealing with road traffic collisions, bail and custody issues, and the public reporting of crimes, says the union.

UNISON has learned that the police force needs to find £18 million in savings.

But the union says staff cannot afford such a huge cut in their income at a time of soaring living costs.

West Yorkshire Police should protect jobs and wages by selling off police stations that have already been mothballed, adds UNISON.

Long-term savings could also be made – instead of job losses and shift pay cuts – if help desks were moved from police stations to a regional contact centre to handle calls from the public and provide help online, says the union.

However, UNISON says the force has yet to include this in its digital innovation plans. ​

UNISON regional organiser for West Yorkshire Police Natalie Ratcliffe said: “Staff are angry and upset with the potential drop in salary. Many are already leaving because they won’t be able to afford to stay.

“The risk is police officers could be taken away from vital policing if they have to end up running the help desks. It would be madness to target help desk staff and take officers off the streets.

“The force and the government should be investing in police staff, not slashing wages.”

The ballot opened on July 18 and closes on August 1.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "The force has been reviewing the public help desk provision across its five policing districts.

"The Chief Officer Team has agreed to move forward with an option paper and this has now moved into a period of structured consultation.

"We are currently carrying out focused consultation with affected staff.

"There will be a public consultation on the proposed changes and further details will be provided in due course."

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