Coastguards’ pay anger

PCS expressed anger over pay increases for coastguards when it was revealed that managers of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) had awarded themselves rises of over 15% compared to around 1% received by staff.

The chief executive received a 7.6% rise on his salary in 2008-09, taking it to £137,400. In comparison, coastguard watch assistants earn just £13,260. PCS argues that the imposed pay settlement meant a real-terms pay cut for staff, who received an increase of just 16p per hour.

PCS has been in a long-running dispute with MCA, which saw the first ever strike by coastguards last year, over its refusal to implement the findings of studies that say coastguards should be paid the same as other emergency services.