LittleShip
New member
I recieved this letter this morning and thought that raising it's profile would be a good thing to do! I'm sure somebody will have posted this before but just in case...........
Subject: HM Coastguard Dispute
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to you as a member of the Public and Commercial Services Union which represents, amongst others, members of HM Coastguard, one of the United Kingdom's Emergency services, who are responsible for fulfilling the Government's statutory obligation (under various International Conventions) to provide the efficient and effective co-ordination of Civil Maritime Search and Rescue.
Your readers may not be aware but Coastguard Officers are considered to be Civil Servants and as such are funded from Central Government, via the Department for Transport and their parent agency the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) . unlike their colleagues in the other 'Blue light' services who are funded by Local Authorities. Coastguard Officers have been the subject of three pay comparability studies undertaken in recent years, the most recent highlighted the fact that HM Coastguard staff were woefully behind the pay scales of their emergency service colleagues.
Following a year of intensive training, both on watch and at the MCA Training Centre, New Entrant Coastguard staff undertake a series of professional Coastguard examinations. Upon successful completion of these examinations these staff are then paid less than those working in a leading fast food chain..
Many members of the public as well as mariners owe their well-being to the service provided by HM Coastguard staff, who assisted more than 27,900 people last year alone. As an island nation dependant on our sea trade and maritime industries, we need a Coastguard Service that is second to none. HM Coastguard staff proudly fulfill that ambition. With approximately 13 million visitors to our coasts every year it is imperative that we have the resources to deal with incidents such as the MV Braer, Green Lily, MSC Napoli, and the Morecambe Bay tragedy amongst a number of others. HM Coastguard also assisted their Emergency Service colleagues during flooding in Boscastle, Carlisle, North Wales and more recently the wide spread flooding in Northern England.
Nationally there are less than 600 full time regular Coastguard staff, who stand watch 24/7, 365 days a year. They are supported by a network of approximately 3500 volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers. With such few numbers it is easy for Government, Ministers and the Department for Transport to ignore any request for parity with the Coastguards' peers.
In an effort to raise awareness of this situation may I ask you to make your members aware and offer their support to those who watch over you all when at sea, by signing the petition at the following link: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Coastguard/
Tom
Subject: HM Coastguard Dispute
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to you as a member of the Public and Commercial Services Union which represents, amongst others, members of HM Coastguard, one of the United Kingdom's Emergency services, who are responsible for fulfilling the Government's statutory obligation (under various International Conventions) to provide the efficient and effective co-ordination of Civil Maritime Search and Rescue.
Your readers may not be aware but Coastguard Officers are considered to be Civil Servants and as such are funded from Central Government, via the Department for Transport and their parent agency the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) . unlike their colleagues in the other 'Blue light' services who are funded by Local Authorities. Coastguard Officers have been the subject of three pay comparability studies undertaken in recent years, the most recent highlighted the fact that HM Coastguard staff were woefully behind the pay scales of their emergency service colleagues.
Following a year of intensive training, both on watch and at the MCA Training Centre, New Entrant Coastguard staff undertake a series of professional Coastguard examinations. Upon successful completion of these examinations these staff are then paid less than those working in a leading fast food chain..
Many members of the public as well as mariners owe their well-being to the service provided by HM Coastguard staff, who assisted more than 27,900 people last year alone. As an island nation dependant on our sea trade and maritime industries, we need a Coastguard Service that is second to none. HM Coastguard staff proudly fulfill that ambition. With approximately 13 million visitors to our coasts every year it is imperative that we have the resources to deal with incidents such as the MV Braer, Green Lily, MSC Napoli, and the Morecambe Bay tragedy amongst a number of others. HM Coastguard also assisted their Emergency Service colleagues during flooding in Boscastle, Carlisle, North Wales and more recently the wide spread flooding in Northern England.
Nationally there are less than 600 full time regular Coastguard staff, who stand watch 24/7, 365 days a year. They are supported by a network of approximately 3500 volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers. With such few numbers it is easy for Government, Ministers and the Department for Transport to ignore any request for parity with the Coastguards' peers.
In an effort to raise awareness of this situation may I ask you to make your members aware and offer their support to those who watch over you all when at sea, by signing the petition at the following link: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Coastguard/
Tom
