Thousands of coastguards no longer paid for call outs

GMB Congress vows to fight 'reprehensible' move

Thousands of volunteer coastguards will no longer be paid for emergency call outs, following a ‘reprehensible’ move by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)

Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) carry out rescues and search for missing people around the UK's coast, including Scotland, Wales and England’s south coast.

They have always been given hourly remuneration for attending incidents and training exercises – but the MCA has now removed the payments.

The move follows a landmark case by GMB Union which saw the Court of Appeal uphold a judgement classifying coastguards as workers.

GMB Union’s annual conference in Blackpool today [Tuesday] vowed to fight the on behalf of hundreds of coastguard members.

Lynsay Mackay, GMB Scotland, told GMB Congress:

“When someone is lost, injured or in danger on our coastline, nobody asks whether the person coming to help is a volunteer or a worker.

“They ask: is someone coming?

“For generations, Coastguard Rescue Officers have made sure the answer to that question is yes.

“If we want a strong, resilient Coastguard for the future, we must make sure that those who step forward are supported, not penalised.

“If you save lives, you deserve respect. If you carry out work, you deserve rights. And when those rights are threatened, GMB stands with you.”