Marine professionals vote to strike

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Marine professionals vote to strike

Marine surveyors and other specialist staff in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have voted overwhelmingly for a series of strikes in their ongoing dispute over pay.


  • 28 Feb 2008
  • Pay

On a high turnout of 82%, 65% voted for strike action in a ballot run by their union Prospect. The result of a ballot of Prospect’s sister union PCS, which represents MCA coastguard staff, also overwhelmingly supported strike action. Both unions have set Thursday March 6 as the date of the first strike.

Prospect Negotiator John Ferrett said: "The ballot result sends a clear message that staff will not sit back and endure successive below inflation pay awards in the face of existing glaring disparities between their own pay and comparable public and private sector grades.

"This is a decision which has not been taken lightly. Our members are dedicated professionals and managers, who are proud of their standing within the global shipping community.

"They do not want to disrupt the smooth running of the UK ports but the vote to strike is a demonstration of the levels of resentment among staff that repeated promises over pay have been broken."

The imposition of a below inflation pay award for 2006 compounded existing frustration at the disparities between MCA surveyors and comparable Department for Transport colleagues in the Marine Accident Investigation Branch who are paid literally twice as much. (The MCA stating rate of £33,000 is dwarfed by the MAIB entry rate of £63,000).

Negotiations on the 2007 award recently broke down when the MCA made an offer to the unions that was significantly lower than the disputed 2006 award. As a result the MCA have imposed a below inflation pay award for the second year running.

Said Ferrett: "Staff are already voting with their feet at a level the MCA board admits will lead to crisis within a few years, yet still no action has been taken to rectify the disparities. We hope this vote will now convince the board that it can no longer just hope these problems will go away."

Prospect represents over 170 marine surveyors and specialists in MCA. The one-day strike will be the first time marine surveyors and specialists in MCA have undertaken such action.