This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7280341.stm
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Coastguard staff stage pay strike | Coastguard staff stage pay strike |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Coastguard staff are staging the first strike in their history. | |
| The Public and Commercial Services union said up to 700 employees at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) would walk out for 24 hours. | |
| The strike will affect emergency calls and operations at 19 UK search and rescue co-ordination centres, but not staff who are sent out to emergencies. | |
| The strike follows protests about what staff say is "poverty pay". Managers say they are bound by pay constraints. | The strike follows protests about what staff say is "poverty pay". Managers say they are bound by pay constraints. |
| The MCA said contingency plans would be put in place to ensure public safety is not compromised. | The MCA said contingency plans would be put in place to ensure public safety is not compromised. |
| Coastguards provide a vital emergency service. It is a scandal that pay rates are so low Mark Serwotka,PCS union | Coastguards provide a vital emergency service. It is a scandal that pay rates are so low Mark Serwotka,PCS union |
| Managers will also be drafted in to answer calls and perform other duties. | Managers will also be drafted in to answer calls and perform other duties. |
| Peter Cardy, chief executive of the MCA, said: "Mayday calls, automatic distress calls and 999 calls will still get through." | Peter Cardy, chief executive of the MCA, said: "Mayday calls, automatic distress calls and 999 calls will still get through." |
| "The tugs will still be operating so they will be patrolling the shores of the UK, the helicopters will still be flying exactly as normal, our counter-pollution teams will be ready as always." | "The tugs will still be operating so they will be patrolling the shores of the UK, the helicopters will still be flying exactly as normal, our counter-pollution teams will be ready as always." |
| The union wants coastguards to get another £3,000 on top of their current base pay of £14,000 a year. | The union wants coastguards to get another £3,000 on top of their current base pay of £14,000 a year. |
| STRIKES AT MCA CENTRES PortlandSolentDoverLondonThamesYarmouthHumberLiverpoolHolyheadMilford HavenSwanseaFalmouthBrixhamBelfastForthClydeAberdeenStornowayShetland | STRIKES AT MCA CENTRES PortlandSolentDoverLondonThamesYarmouthHumberLiverpoolHolyheadMilford HavenSwanseaFalmouthBrixhamBelfastForthClydeAberdeenStornowayShetland |
| The union's pay co-ordinator Geoff Lewtas told the BBC: "This is the first time that coastguards have gone on strike, in well over a hundred years of the organisation existing... | The union's pay co-ordinator Geoff Lewtas told the BBC: "This is the first time that coastguards have gone on strike, in well over a hundred years of the organisation existing... |
| "It's because they are on poverty pay in many cases, and because their pay isn't on a level with workers in similar situations providing emergency services, such as the police, ambulance and fire." | "It's because they are on poverty pay in many cases, and because their pay isn't on a level with workers in similar situations providing emergency services, such as the police, ambulance and fire." |
| Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, said its members did not take the decision to go on strike lightly. | Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, said its members did not take the decision to go on strike lightly. |
| "They feel let down and betrayed by a refusal to pay them the same as other emergency services and by below inflation pay rises which are cutting their pay in real terms," he said. | "They feel let down and betrayed by a refusal to pay them the same as other emergency services and by below inflation pay rises which are cutting their pay in real terms," he said. |
| "Coastguards provide a vital emergency service and ensure the safety of shipping in British waters. | "Coastguards provide a vital emergency service and ensure the safety of shipping in British waters. |
| "It is a scandal that pay rates are so low." | "It is a scandal that pay rates are so low." |
| The MCA says it is bound by government rules on public sector pay. | The MCA says it is bound by government rules on public sector pay. |