Author Topic: HM Coastguard Disputes  (Read 9242 times)

Clevelandfire

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« on: March 11, 2008, 12:30:44 AM »
Perhaps this is not the place in which to discuss the recent strike action taken by HM Coastguard Officers over the pay and conditions of their service, and I sincerely apologise if anyone feels the content of this thread is inappropriate, it is out of character for me to 'get political' as it were.

As someone who has worked alongside this fantastic service I wanted to show my support and convey my best wishes to our colleagues in HM Coastguard to ensure that they get the pay they deserve for the job they do.

For anyone who is unaware about why the Coastguard Officers have gone on strike let me enlighten you. Their 999 operators earn £12500 per annum!! much much less than their opposite numbers in the other emergency services.

To really sum things up, you may recall that the AA (the breakdown service) used to say in their adverts "TO OUR MEMBERS WE ARE THE FOURTH EMERGENCY SERVICE" ... had they never heard of the Coastguard?

I have the upmost respect for the RNLI lifeboat crews, the Coastguard Rescue Teams, but lets not forget the good work done by the HM Coastguard Watch Assistants and Officers too. Anyone who has worked in any emergency service control room will know how stressful it can be, and how on the ball you need to be when people's lives are at risk, and maritime rescue is a totally different ball game to life saving measures on terra firma.

I know there are other bodies or groups of people who deserve better pay, such as nurses for example, but I haven't met anyone yet who thought £12500 per annum was fair for the work the Coastguard Watch Assitants do.

Offline lambie

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2008, 08:53:40 AM »
Hear hear, where would a lot of people be without them?

Offline AllyMacG

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2008, 12:24:45 AM »
Quote from: lambie
Hear hear, where would a lot of people be without them?
somewhere wet probably

Chris Houston

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2008, 12:27:12 AM »
Quote from: Clevelandfire
I haven't met anyone yet who thought £12500 per annum was fair for the work the Coastguard Watch Assitants do.
So how much should they be paid?

Midland Retty

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2008, 10:25:50 AM »
Quote from: Chris Houston
Quote from: Clevelandfire
I haven't met anyone yet who thought £12500 per annum was fair for the work the Coastguard Watch Assitants do.
So how much should they be paid?
How hard you work, what experience / quals you have a bearing on what wages you would like.

999 Operators in other services earn about £19,000 on average I believe. I think one Coastguard officer said he could earn more money flipping burgers, not that there is anything wrong with that, but it has to be said there are big differences in the repsonsibilities between that and co-ordinating large scale rescues, monitoring emergency channels, and dealing with 999 calls.

Clevelandfire

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2008, 01:12:19 AM »
Quote from: Chris Houston
Quote from: Clevelandfire
I haven't met anyone yet who thought £12500 per annum was fair for the work the Coastguard Watch Assitants do.
So how much should they be paid?
Sorry Chris but I find that a bit of a silly question.

£12,500 do you think that is a fair wage? Come on I think you are a bit more intelligent than that

To get where you are today you had probaly had to work very hard at what you do.

People on the doll get almost that much a year. So should all the Coastguard watch assistants sit on their backsides, quit their job and go on the doll?

How is anyone expected to live on that amount let alone try and buy a house. They don't get handouts or benefits. People on the doll do. What then is the incentive?

How much do you get paid? Would you be happy with £12500 per annum in the job you do?

999 Operators have to have a good level of intelligence be of a certain standard in terms of education, need to be of decent character, need to be on the ball, and co-ordinate rescue efforts and deal with people who are in the most diar of circumstances. Would you take on that responsibility for £12,500 ?

Do you think thats fair when someone without any GCSE's , larked about all their life, did poorly at school through nothing else than not being bothered can get a job paying more in McDonalds flipping Burgers?

If you say yes then you tell me why a school leaver who buggered about at school cant get the job you do then. I was useless at school, I paid for it in later life. I realised you have to work hard to get anywhere in life and so did that to compensate for my woefully bad education results.

Do you think these people should leave the job and go and work for McDonalds flipping burgers because they will get a better wage. What do you suggest Chris? What do I think they should get paid? a fair wage which allows them to keep their head above water the same way you expect your job to pay a fair wage to give you the small luxuries in life you feel you deserve such as hopefully owning your own property, having enough to provide for your family for doing an honest days work

You do, you work hard so why shouldnt you be able to keep your head above water.

Im sorry if I took the sentiment of your reply the wrong way, but it just annoys me that anyone would feel that a job involving that ammount of responsibility and close attention to detail warrants that wage.

They may as well go work as a sales assistant at a clothing store

Im not being snobbish, Ive got no problem with sales assistants, but if you think i am snobbish why is it then that a solicitor should be paid more than a sales assistant.

Exactly i rest my case

Chris Houston

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2008, 01:37:45 AM »
Clevelandfire, I don't understand your post or your anger.  I didn't offer an opinion on how much they should be paid, I just asked the question: "If £12,500 isn't enough, what should they be paid".

I'd rather not discuss my job, how hard I work and what luxuries I have and have not and what I get paid in a public forum, so I'll refrain from answering your questions on those subjects, sorry.

And I don't know enough about what the good people at the coastguard, how much competition there is for their jobs, or know enough about UK wages to have an opinion on how much I think they should get paid, but as you brought this into the public arena, I think it is perfect fair that I asked you what you thought they should get paid.

Very surprised by your hostility towards my straight forward and non-controversial question.

Clevelandfire

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2008, 02:01:21 AM »
The questions about your individual circumstances were rhetorical questions Chris

But it sounded as if you felt £12500 was a fair wage. I did apologise in advance if I had mistaken the sentiment of your post. But apologise again.

I simply replied by saying we all get paid according to the standards of education and responsibility we have. And I was mereley stating I didnt think £12500 was enough.

And this is why I suggested that a solicitor is paid more than a shop assistant for obvious reasons.

Competition for jobs is practically nill in the Coastguard compared with the other emergency services, not many people are intrested with wages that low.

They tend to work 4 days on four days of - 48 hour week i believe

I did say in my original post that I felt they should be paid comparitve to their counterparts in the other emergency services which on average receive over £20,000 per annum once qualified.

In terms of the job they do I also cover this in my very first post on the subject

In brief they do everything a fire police and ambulance 999 operators does.

Answer 999 calls, co-ordinate rescues, monitor the maritime distress channels across the UK, answer phone queries from members of the public, maintain a watch over the UK coastline 24/7 3655 days of the year liaise with other emergency services, dispatch resources to incidents, give life saving information over the phone or by marine radio until help arrives on scene, broadcast safety messages and shipping forecast information on marine radio to shipping etc.

Based on that info do you think £12500 per year is sufficient for what is lets face it a responsible job?

Theyre not asking for an unrealistic sum of money, just a fair and balanced wage for what they do, and I don't see anything wrong with that.

Again I apologise if I seemed as if I were angry at you, thats not the case, but I just wanted to point out the reality of the situation

Offline Wiz

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2008, 06:12:10 PM »
£12,500 P.A. seems a pittance for any job, let alone for doing such an important one.

There is no doubt that these people should resign and find a better paid job.

Obviously, if the people in charge can't then find anyone else to do the job at this wage, then they will have to increase it.

Clevelandfire

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2008, 06:13:53 PM »
My sentiments exactly Wiz

Chris Houston

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2008, 11:45:31 PM »
Quote from: Clevelandfire
it sounded as if you felt £12500 was a fair wage
Then you are, quite simply, imagining things, as I made no comment on the suitability of the wage.

To me it seems like a low wage, but I don't know enough about these things to have an informed opinion on how much they should get paid, which is why I asked you what you thought they should get paid.

Clevelandfire

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2008, 05:54:02 PM »
Quote from: Chris Houston
Quote from: Clevelandfire
it sounded as if you felt £12500 was a fair wage
Then you are, quite simply, imagining things, as I made no comment on the suitability of the wage.

To me it seems like a low wage, but I don't know enough about these things to have an informed opinion on how much they should get paid, which is why I asked you what you thought they should get paid.
Fair enough no offence meant and your point taken.

Chris Houston

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2008, 05:22:31 PM »
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7336594.stm

The BBC reports that they get paid £14,000 per year and are going on strike because they want £17,000.

Offline CRO

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HM Coastguard Disputes
« Reply #13 on: June 18, 2008, 11:32:58 PM »
Just to put that into perspective .... £14,000 = National Minimum Wage.

The last pay increase Coastguard Watch Assistants had was to bring them up to the Nat Min Wage which for someone in such a responsible position is not what I call a fair wage.

A Coastguard watch officer / assistant / manager I believe has a far harder job than some of the other emergency service operators. Co-ordinating search and rescue in a coastal / marine environment involves many natural variables which can greatly affect the outcome of the SAR operation, coupled together with the posibility that he may have to call off the SAR Op knowing that the casualty (where ever he / she is) could not possibly survive and the WO next call will be to the family

I am in the Coastguard myself ... but fortunately I am a Coastguard Rescue Officer (CRO) formally known as Auxiliary Coastguards.

HM Coastguard is a breed unto itself and is run far differently from any other emergency service ... I think many of you would be amazed