Dear Sir,
As a member of HM Coastguard, President of the Coastguard section of the Public and Commercial Services union, an ex-Merchant Navy officer and a boat owner for the past 40 years, I feel I have a right to call myself a ‘mariner’ in the full sense of the word.

It has taken a lot of serious soul seeking to bring myself to lead my members into the industrial action we are now involved in – including striking for the first time in our 154-year history – which is affecting my fellow seafarers.

Our dispute does not centre on the governments 2% pay cap for 2008, but is a deep rooted problem caused by many years of government and other authorities taking for granted the responsible and dedicated role we play in protecting the safety of mariners and the general public around the coastline of the British Isles.

Coastguards within the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) have always taken their responsibilities very seriously and many are either ex-mariners and/or pursue nautical interests.

We have been forced into taking this action because Coastguard pay has fallen well behind other emergency services and fellow professionals in the maritime industry. We have staff taking home 25% less than staff in comparable occupations in other emergency services, with some on the minimum wage, undertaking a lifesaving professional occupation.

This government knows that the Coastguard wage structure and grading has been proven to be totally wrong, with comparability studies showing we are paid embarrassingly less than our equals in similar occupations.

As pointed out by many cross-party MPs, the responsibility for ending this dispute lies firmly with Treasury and the government, with an increase in funding of under £6m – a very small price to pay to regain the respect of the agency staff and its customers both nationwide and worldwide.

The agency is now finding it increasingly difficult to recruit personnel of the dedication and calibre, that were available in years gone by due to the low pay on offer, with retention of staff becoming an ever more worrying problem. Many MRCC operation rooms are understaffed, with inexperienced personnel having to fulfil many roles not expected of them in the past, causing high stress levels at busy times.

We ask for your patience during these difficult times; your safety is paramount in our minds and we hope all seafarers act with extra caution while we are involved in our dispute.

Clive Welch
President MCA Section
Public and Commercial Services Union