Government drops plans to stop paying Coastguard volunteers

Plans to stop paying Coast Guard volunteers for their time on call and training have been canceled After some threatened to resign over the move.

The UK government’s transport minister, Keir Mather, said he had listened to the views of coastguard rescue officers (CROs) and that a switch to a spend-only model would no longer proceed.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) He initially said he needed to “change the way the service works” After the court classified the intervenors as “workers” in the performance of their duties.

The minister said the government would explore options for how volunteers can be rightly rewarded and have the flexibility to serve their communities.

CROs form the bulk of the Coastguard Rescue Service (CRS), the voluntary arm of HM Coastguard.

More than 3,500 of them are carrying out rescues along the UK coast, including those trapped in mud, water and rocks, and assisting in the search for missing people.

They are officially classed as volunteers, but can charge around £11 per hour to respond to calls or take part in training exercises.

Even if an incident has been resolved before this, a minimum payment equivalent to three hours (approximately £33) may be requested.

But MCA wanted to scrap that payment later this year, following a Court of Appeal ruling in January.

While CROs are described as “volunteers,” he held that a contract arises when they attend calls or training sessions for which they have the right to demand payment.

In response, MCA said it would move to a “revised volunteer model”.

Following the move being announced, the government was warned that a survey carried out by the MCA showed the coastguard would be devastated if the move to a single-volunteer model continued.

It showed that at least a quarter of all volunteers would quit or reduce their hours across the UK, with the figure rising to 56% in the South East and Southern England regions.

In response to questions in the House of Commons, Mather said: “The MCA and Her Majesty’s Coastguard are doing vital work and ministers have full confidence in the service, but when those on the ground raise concerns on the scale we have seen and the evidence base proves inadequate, it is absolutely right for us to pause and re-engage.

“This decision not to move to the new model in September is exactly what makes it easier for us to treat CROs with the dignity and respect they deserve and, most importantly, to get this system right.”

The decision was welcomed by Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, who put an urgent question on the issue last week.

He also raised the issue with Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

Carmichael said: “This is a big win for coastguard volunteers today.

“The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s damaging plans could have put public safety at risk across the country and particularly in island communities, so there was no alternative but to organise, campaign and secure return.”

Torcuil Crichton, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on voluntary rescue services, representing the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency in Scotland’s Western Isles, praised the decision.

The Labor MP said the coastguard was a “fourth blue light” service in remote communities like his.

He said: “This is a huge win for CROs who face huge uncertainty and anxiety around this.

“They are dedicated, professional and for them this change threatened to threaten that service.”

Dr Peters, a senior lecturer in criminology and also a coastguard rescue officer at Eyemouth on the Berwickshire coast. Kelly Stockdale told the BBC she was relieved the minister had listened to their concerns.

“This is a highly skilled job; we train for over 100 hours to become a coast guard officer,” he said.

“We continue this training for two hours each week, which allows us to respond when a call for help comes.”

He added: “Our real fear is that if people leave because they can’t afford to continue the commitment, they won’t lose that income, we’ll not only have fewer people but also the skills and experience that will be lost.”

GMB Scotland senior organizer Paul Arkison welcomed the U-turn but said it should never have been necessary.

He said: “The work and determination of the Coastguard Rescue Officers could not have been more important but were needlessly put at risk by this ill-conceived and self-destructive plan.

“These brave and talented emergency workers don’t do it for the money, but the money allows them to do it.

“The decision to continue paying them for their time is welcome but should never have been necessary.”