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19 December 2009
SHETLAND and Orkney MP Alistair Carmichael has paid tribute
to the hard work and dedication of local coastguard teams.
Speaking in the House of Commons this week, Mr Carmichael
reminded fellow MPs that the country’s emergency services
were made up of fire, police, ambulance and the coastguard
service.
He highlighted the poor treatment coastguard staff hade
received in last year’s dispute over pay and work
conditions.
He said: “A number of members have paid tribute to the work
of the emergency services, which will be working over the
Christmas and New Year period.
“So far, everybody who has referred to them has spoken of
the fire, police and ambulance services.
“It pains me slightly that I have to remind the House that
there is a fourth emergency service, the coastguard, which
will also be on duty as we tuck into our turkey with the
trimmings on Christmas day. It provides cover 24 hours a
day, every day of the year.”
He added: “That status as a forgotten emergency service
vexes me somewhat, because the recent history of the
coastguard service has not been happy one.
“Last year, it came to the point at which members of the
coastguard staff went on strike for the first time in their
history. I |
know that that caused many
of them real anxiety, because they see themselves as
having a vocation and being there to provide a very
important service for those of us who live in coastal and
island communities and use the sea, either for leisure or
our living.
“They were forced into that position because their pay and
conditions had fallen behind those of comparable workers in
other emergency services to such an extent that in the past
few years the most junior grades have had to have pay
settlements imposed on them, because otherwise their pay
would have fallen foul of the minimum wage legislation.
“That is what we are paying the watch assistants, who are
responsible for some of the most important, detailed and
stressful work available to coastguards.
"That is little short of a disgrace, but worse we have
subsequently discovered from the Maritime and Coastguard
Agency's 2008-09 annual report that the same senior
management and board members who insisted that the increase
for watch officers and watch assistants could not go above
the 2 per cent ceiling set by the government for public
sector pay were in fact awarding themselves increases of, on
average, 15 per cent.
"The morale of staff and many watch officers is through the
floor, which can be seen from the turnover of staff. If I
have a hope for the New Year, it is that somebody will take
control of the agency and introduce proposals that will
allow the staff to be paid a wage that truly reflects the
value of their work."
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