Coastguard strike 'impacting sea rescue services'

Published on Sunday 24 August 2008 22:01

SEA rescue services have been damaged by a 48-hour strike by Coastguards over pay, a union claimed yesterday.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union at Scotland's five control centres took part in the latest industrial action, which ends at 7pm tonight.

The union is angry at pay levels for staff at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. It says studies by the MCA have found that they are paid about 4,500 less than counterparts in other emergency services.

Norina O'Hare, a spokeswoman for the PCS, yesterday urged the MCA to come forward with a serious offer to redress the pay imbalance.

She said: "Two years ago, the MCA itself commissioned a study into salary levels, but decided not to accept the findings.

"Since then, pay rewards have been below inflation. There has been no offer made by the agency."

The union had urged the public to avoid taking to the sea for non-essential activities over the weekend. "The reason we are saying this is that clearly the Coastguards have local knowledge and expertise … which will not be there (during the strike]," said Ms O'Hare.

"I think there will be an impact because of the lack of local knowledge, but how far that is I cannot say."

The union's claim has been denied by the MCA, which said contingency plans had been put in place to provide emergency cover.

The agency said there would be "no reduction" in its ability to respond to distress and 999 calls.

The MCA said the industrial action was being taken by people responsible for co-ordinating rescues, and the rescuers themselves would operate as normal.

The latest stoppage follows five days of strike action earlier in the year, which the PCS said led to the closure of nearly half of the UK's rescue co-ordination centres.

&#149 Two men were found on Bute after a problem with the boat they were in sparked a major search.

Their small rigid inflatable vessel broke down in rough seas on Saturday night, and they were poorly equipped, with no radio and only one lifejacket.