Coastguards back Strike action

[havener]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7149133.stm

Totally agree with them. It's a disgrace that there are ops room staff paid at national minimum wage, especially given the salaries paid to some of the hardly essential personnel elsewhere in the MCA.

I notice recently they were advertising for direct-entry watch officers at Dover, with a skill set (rightly) requiring an experienced mariner, but at a salary level which could be beaten by an average deckhand.

What is even more disappointing is that at last, most senior managers within HMCG have come up through the ranks (including for the first time ever the recently retired MCA Chief Exec). Surely someone there must have a vague clue as to the value of the watch teams?

[Pete7]

Simon,

You posted this 2 1/2 hours ago

Originally Posted by havener

instead of sacking civil servants

So which is it

Pete

[Simon B]

Utterly disgraceful! give them the same rise MPs awarded themselves. What do Ops room staff who man/woman 999 centres get?

[Jono]

.Fine.. let 'em go on strike ... then sack the feckin' lot of 'em and make room for people who want to work..... and before giving me the "living wage" bollix.... blame the greedy bastards who started the housing price rise scandal.... I say the same to the Fire-fighters and their recent strike...lazy bunch of feckas.... and for all those who moan about "they're worth more"..Fine.. but stop moaning about the spiralling rise of prices/taxes... gotta be paid for somehow...Minimum wage? Great.. but someone forgot to tell our competitors in India/China/Mexico/Eastern Europe.. take yer pick...


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...that should start things off nicely.

[havener]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Simon,

You posted this 2 1/2 hours ago



So which is it

Pete

I think there's a slight difference between those who co-ordinate lifesaving actions, and those who draft meaningless drivel that merely impose more regulation on the rest of us, don't you?

[havener]

Originally Posted by Simon B

Utterly disgraceful! give them the same rise MPs awarded themselves. What do Ops room staff who man/woman 999 centres get?

Simon,

Coastal Watch Assistants - from memory about £12k + 25% shift allowance
Watch Officers - around £15k plus 25%
District Ops Managers - around £19k plus 25%

That's based on an averaged 42 hour week in 12 hour shifts.

Even CWAs take 999 calls, deal with Maydays, task units, etc...

Certainly its way below equivalents in Fire, Police and Ambulance control centres.

[Nos4r2]

That's actually not that bad. Certainly well above some semi-skilled jobs once you add the shift allowance. (I wouldn't work for that though!)

[havener]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

That's actually not that bad. Certainly well above some semi-skilled jobs once you add the shift allowance. (I wouldn't work for that though!)

Not much to try and live on when you're in some of the holiday home capitals like Brixham and Falmouth though, and sweet FA for those stationed in London.

What I don't see is how they can ask for good merchant navy experience but not pay for it!

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by havener

What I don't see is how they can ask for good merchant navy experience but not pay for it!

Because people are willing, or at least have been, to do the job for that amount of money?

John

[havener]

Probably.

A few years back, a high proportion of CG staff were ex RN or Merchant Navy with appropriate pensions to supplement their income.

It's the old story - because people enjoy(ed) the job, pay can be kept lower than it should be.

Same reason that the threat of strike action is slightly hollow - the MCA know that no watch officer would let a call for distress go unanswered.

Doesn't mean its right not to pay for the knowledge and skills though.