Coastguards in 48 hour bank holiday strike

Office workers in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency strike over poor pay.

Submitted by Django on August 25, 2008

following the offer of a paltry 2.5% pay increase, well below inflation levels, 700 Rescue Co-ordinators backed by the Public and Commercial Sevices Union have taken strike action against real-terms cuts to already poor pay. The workers, who participate in search planning in response to 999 calls, demand a rise of £3000 from their current base salary of £12,500, which is barely above the minimum wage. According to an internal investigation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which was then rejected by the MCA, Coastguard workers are paid around £4,500 less than counterparts in other emergency services.

The current action follows on a five day strike earlier in March, which the PCS report enjoyed strong public support. It was the first such action in the organisation's history.

The strike ends at midnight tonight.

Comments