The Surrey Police Service has signed a first collective agreement with the Surrey Police Union which carries a wage increase of three per cent per year over the life of the contract, effective March 3, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2024.
The full agreement is expected to be posted on the Surrey Police Board website by mid-April. It was ratified by SPU members on Wednesday and the board approved it Thursday. It covers police officers ranked constable to staff sergeant.
“The Surrey Police Union membership are very pleased with this first collective agreement for SPS police officers,” Staff Sgt. Rick Stewart, President of the Surrey Police Union, stated in a press release issued Friday. “This agreement shows that the Surrey Police Board and SPS leadership are committed to supporting the overall well-being of our members who work in a job that involves long hours, stress and trauma.”
Chief Const. Norm Lipinski said this first collective agreement “was achieved through the positive and cooperative relationship that exists between the Surrey Police Board, Surrey Police Union, and Surrey Police Service.
“A well trained, experienced, and motivated workforce that is locally controlled will provide exemplary service to Surrey residents,” he said.
Cheney Cloke, vice-chairwoman of the board, said there’s an “unprecedented demand for experienced and skilled police officers across Canada.”
“As the employer for what will soon be one of the largest police agencies in British Columbia, it is important to the Surrey Police Board that SPS is positioned as a supportive and desirable place to work,” Cloke said. “This first collective agreement with the Surrey Police Union will help us attract and retain exceptional police officers to best serve the citizens of Surrey.”
Meantime, Melissa Granum, executive director of the Surrey Police Board, told the Now-Leader that comparing the RCMP’s new collective agreement with the SPS agreement, as far as wage increases go, there is “very little difference between the cost of a police officer from the SPS versus cost of a police officer from the RCMP.”
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tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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