Underpayment of continual professional development (CPD) payments to members

Conference notes that it is three years since Conference instructed the Executive Council (EC) to discuss with the National Joint Council (NJC) the need to equalise CPD payments across the UK, to raise them to the highest rate currently paid and to make CPD core pay.

Following on from this debate in May 2019, which highlighted the fact that some Members were having their CPD reduced due to working less hours or because of maternity, it became apparent that many Retained Members are simply not being paid the current correct level of CPD, as set out in the NJC CPD Scheme.

This scheme states that part-time employees, including those employed on the Retained Duty System, will be paid on an individual pro-rata basis, subject to a minimum payment of 25% of the full-time equivalent rate.

Many Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) are paying just this minimum rate and are not calculating the payment for each individual, resulting in a significant number of our Members being underpaid.

Conference instructs the EC to support Brigade Officials in mounting an immediate challenge to this detrimental practice within the relevant FRS. This challenge should secure the correct calculation and payment of CPD going forward and should also secure payment of all monies owed through underpayment of CPD to our Members, going back to the scheme start date of 1st July 2007.