Ian Bugler, 52, a coastguard in Dorset whose family has been involved in the service for decade, warned plans to cut call-out payments risks response rates and morale hitting ‘rock-bottom’
Coastguards gathered in Westminster today to demand emergency call-out payments are reinstated and warned of morale hitting “rock-bottom”.
Those who take time out of their main employment to carry out life-saving missions were entitled to receive £11 per hour when called out to emergencies.
But the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is expected to remove these payments in September after a Court of Appeal ruled they should be classed as “working” while carrying out their duties. They are now calling on the MCA to pause its plans – and consult with members – amid fears the pay cut could damage morale and weaken the service.
Speaking to The Mirror, Ian Bugler, 52, a coastguard in Dorset said: “I’m here to support the campaign for all the coastguards. I’ve been in the service for nearly 35 years and my family has been involved in the same team for nearly 150 years. I’m the fourth generation”
He added: “The MCA has decided the coastguard rescue officers will be moved over to a volunteer model from September. Currently we get paid a little bit of remuneration for the hours we put in… it helps to offset the hours we put in. We take time out of our main employment to help people in need.”
Asked about the impact of the cut, he said: “Morale will be rock-bottom. The response from coastguard rescue officers would probably drop by around 90%.” Another coastguard in Eyemouth Dr Kelly Stockdale – who met with MPs on Wednesday – said: “What we’re really worried about is the impact it will have on service.
“We all live in coastal communities… we serve those communities, we’re really worried that people will leave. We’re really worried that the people who will leave have the skills that we need. We all work as a team. We rely on each other – even one loss has a huge impact on us.”
Nicola Savage, GMB National Officer, said: “Coastguards across the UK risk their own lives to keep us safe.The very least they should expect is paying for their time and expenses.”
She added: “CROs are a statutory emergency service – just like fire fighters or police officers. We wouldn’t accept them not being paid and we shouldn’t expect it for coastguards. GMB urges the MCA to pause, consult and listen to their concerns.”
It comes as The Mirror campaigns to improve water safety after a spate of drownings and launched our ‘Save Lives for Sam’ campaign earlier this year. It is calling on the government to take urgent action to stop the deaths of 33 children – the size of a school class – in open water nationwide every year.
In June, Keir Starmer also threw his weight behind The Mirror’s campaign after a number of “deeply concerning” water-related deaths in recent weeks. The Prime Minister said it was “hard to imagine” how parents must feel after losing their children in water tragedies in the recent heatwave.