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Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb today spoke out in support of local Coastguards who remain in dispute with their employer, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), about pay and conditions.

During a parliamentary debate on industrial relations within the MCA, Stephen stressed that the Coastguards' reluctant decision to take strike action in March and April was a sign of the desperation felt by Coastguards. He referred to the numerous emails and letters he has received from Coastguards in Pembrokeshire indicating that the decision to strike had not been taken lightly.

The recent coastguard strikes, where Milford Haven staff joined 700 other MCA employees in a walk out which saw half of the UK's 19 rescue co-ordination centres close, comes as another example of the deterioration of industrial relations across the UK.

Stephen also used the debate to raise the case of Brian MacFarlane of Goodwick, the 38-year old volunteer Coastguard who lost his job after damaging his knee in a rescue operation and found himself in a long-running dispute with the MCA about adequate levels of compensation. That case led to strike action by volunteer Coastguards across West Wales last year as concern grew about the level of protection available to injured Coastguards under the MCA compensation scheme.

Stephen cited the case as further evidence of a serious breakdown of trust and good-will between staff and senior MCA management.

Speaking after the debate, Stephen said: "The MCA Rescue and Co-ordination Centre at Milford Haven is a vitally important facility. It provides protection to a section of coastline which is seeing both an increase in oil, petroleum and gas shipping and an increase in the numbers of tourists and leisure users of the cliffs and waters. The deterioration in industrial relations within the MCA puts at risk the excellent service provided by local Coastguards."

"Government ministers and the senior management team at the MCA need to take a long, hard look at the position we find ourselves in where committed Coastguards who are in the business of saving lives feel so demoralised that they have to go on strike. The cost to the Government of resolving this dispute is not great, but failure to find a solution would have disastrous implications for safety and protection on our coastline."

With starting salaries at just £12 509 for a Coastguard Watch Assistant, staff are finding it difficult to subsist on such low sums, which follow 9-12 months of training and professional exams followed by continuous on-job training and annual inspections of competence.

Stephen emphasised the professionalism and readiness with which coastguards put their lives on the line every day, but maintained that adequate protection for individuals and their families must be guaranteed in return.

9:42am Thursday 22nd May 2008

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