Environment Agency staff start to vote on possible strike  over pay, says UNISON 

Environment Agency staff are being asked to vote for industrial action in a ballot that could see the first strike over pay in the organisation’s 26-year history, says UNISON today (Monday). A strike ballot of several thousand Agency employees across England – including river inspectors, flood forecasting officers, coastal risk management officers, sewage plant attendants and staff maintaining the Thames Barrier – opens today. The vote closes in a month’s time. Earlier in the year, Environment Agency staff voted to reject a pay offer of 2% and an additional £345. This is substantially less than the lowest measure of inflation – currently 9.9% – and simply isn’t enough, says UNISON. The latest offer follows years of no wage increases, or rises significantly below the cost of living, and has proved the final straw for the Agency’s employees, adds the union. UNISON says low wages have led to large numbers of staff quitting the UK’s key environmental regulator. The Agency has struggled to fill vacancies, which has put the remaining workforce under intolerable pressure, says UNISON. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Environment Agency employees love their jobs. But harsh government budget cuts means it’s becoming increasingly difficult for them to do their work. “Staff are no longer prepared to accept such poor treatment at the hands of ministers. It’s high time the government showed it values the important work they ...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release Christina McAnea environment agency pay ballot Source Type: news