Coastguards stage strike

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The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said over 700 of its members at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will walk out for 24 hours in protest at pay levels said to be "way below" other emergency services.

The union said a previous strike last month led to the closure of half the UK's 19 rescue centres, with the rest staffed by managers.

Officials said staff were "furious" that workers such as Coastguard watch assistants only earned the national minimum wage, while the most experienced employees were only receiving a 1% rise this year.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "Strike action is a last resort and could have been avoided if the government and the MCA hadn't continued with their refusal to meaningfully negotiate a satisfactory outcome.

"Instead they appear content to pay wages just above the minimum wage, reward long serving staff with a real terms pay cut and to preside over pay levels that lag significantly behind other emergency services.

"The government have got to wake up to the impact that its below inflation pay cap is having on the morale and living standards of people who save lives and the tide of unrest that is emerging across the public sector.

"We anticipate the support for the today's stoppage to be as strong as the last one so would advise the public to avoid taking to the sea for non-essential activities."

An MCA statement said: "The service offered from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency leading up to and including the strike day will be of a more limited nature on this and other strike days.

"This action is by those responsible for co-ordinating rescues - the rescuers themselves will continue to operate as normal. Helicopters will continue to fly, the RNLI will still send out their lifeboats and our own volunteer coastguard rescue officers are ready in their local communities."