Environment Agency workers announce four-day strike as staff turn down 2 per cent pay offer
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Environmental Agency workers announce a four-day strike as staff working on water pollution, flooding, fires and illegal dumping reject a 2 percent wage proposal
- The strike will last from Friday, April 14, 7 p.m. to Monday, April 17, 7 a.m.
Thousands of UNISON Environment Agency workers in England will be the last public agency workers to strike for four days this month blaming the government for endangering communities, waters and wildlife.
According to UNISON, the strike action has been necessitated by the government’s refusal to invite unions to wage talks – despite months of strikes and other actions in which workers have withdrawn from ‘on-call’ incident response rosters.
The strike action means that personnel working on coastal defenses, protecting communities from flooding, tackling water pollution, trash fires and illegal dumping will all leave their posts for the time being.
They will not work from next Friday 7:00 PM (April 14) to Monday morning 7:00 AM (April 17).
The importance of the Environment Agency’s work was only highlighted last month when hundreds of workers were involved in cleaning up the Poole Harbor oil spill.
After 200 barrels of reservoir fluid were discharged into the harbor due to a pipeline leak at the Wytch Farm oil field, Taff worked tirelessly to clean up the affected area and contain the spill.
The site of the oil spill where Environmental Agency employees helped oil workers clean up the residue
Workers in a field during the clean-up operation at Ower Bay in Poole Harbor in Dorset
However, Unison said ‘endemic’ low wages mean the Environment Agency (EA) is struggling to retain experienced staff and recruit new ones.
The longer the government continues with its “do nothing” approach to staffing problems, the worse the situation will get, the union said.
Unison said the government’s refusal to allow the Agency to improve on a 2% plus £345 pay rise to be given to staff in the autumn means workers have no choice but to ‘reluctantly’ reapply to strike.
A ‘life and limb’ cover has been agreed for cases where life or property is threatened.
Unison’s environment chief, Donna Rowe-Merriman, said: ‘Every community in England needs these skilled workers to keep their local environment safe.
All talk and very little action best describes the government’s approach to environmental policy.
Announcements come and go, but not much is happening to clean up England’s seas, rivers, lakes and canals.
‘This has to change. The government needs a well-staffed Environmental Agency to protect natural habitats and water resources.
But with too few experts on its books, there’s no way the Agency can punish the polluters and keep everyone safe.
Therese Coffey (Minister of the Environment) must stop ignoring the plight of these valuable workers and address the growing staffing problems at the Environment Agency.
“The hourly rates are so low that some employees had to get rush pay at the beginning of the week or their employer would have broken minimum wage laws.
“It is time for the government to bring in employers and unions to resolve this damaging dispute once and for all.”