The union is responding to an announcement from Don Touhig MP, Under Secretary of State for Defence, that the consultation period over proposals to change the organisation and structure of the Met Office will be extended to 90 days and will allow for all options to be considered.
Prospect negotiator Jim Cooper said: "This decision vindicates our position that the original proposal was flawed and requires careful consideration." Prospect members in the Met Office believe these proposals do not take sufficient account of:
- the political impact of the withdrawal of national weather services from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions
- the loss of revenue from public and private customers
- the risk of the necessary technology not being available in the timescale proposed
- the loss of staff expertise. Highly skilled forecasters may choose not to relocate to Exeter and would threaten the service provided to the UK as a whole.
The proposals call for the closure of civil weather centres in Aberdeen, Cardiff, Belfast, London, Manchester and Birmingham, with weather services centralised at the Met Office headquarters in Exeter. Prospect will be submitting detailed arguments on a case-by-case basis to outline why the proposals will damage the Met Office’s services and business.