Thousands of Environment Agency (EA) workers in England will stop attending incidents such as floods, water pollution, spills, waste fires and fly-tipping in December after beginning industrial action, says UNISON.
The strike action began on Monday 12 December, with staff starting a work to rule for an indefinite period. UNISON, the UK union, says this means employees will only work their contracted hours, taking all scheduled breaks and will not accept any unpaid work.
UNISON says staff will not agree to volunteer to attend incidents for two 48-hour periods, the first beginning at 9 am on Christmas Eve, continuing until 9 am on Boxing Day, and the second from 9 am on New Year’s Eve, ending on 2 January at 9 am.
UNISON says employees have been driven to action as a last resort after the EA failed to offer a fair pay rise following increasing levels of inflation.
We have plans in place to minimise any disruption to our essential work to protect the environment and respond to incidents.
In response to the action, an Environment Agency spokesperson said: “As a public sector organisation the Environment Agency remains bound by the pay policy of the government of the day.
“We have plans in place to minimise any disruption to our essential work to protect the environment and respond to incidents.”
The action follows workers being offered a 2% pay rise and a £345 payment, the union says, and that wages have fallen behind rising costs for many years.
UNISON says that high vacancy levels at the EA are “piling extra pressure” on the staff who deliver vital services to protect communities and the environment from floods and pollution incidents.
Wages there have been held down for years, prompting many experienced workers to quit for better-paid work elsewhere.
Commenting on the industrial action, UNISON head of environment Donna Rowe-Merriman said: “Staff are proud to play a vital role in keeping communities safe, but feel constantly taken for granted by a government that has persistently failed to invest in the Environment Agency.
“Wages there have been held down for years, prompting many experienced workers to quit for better-paid work elsewhere. But as more leave, the pressures increase on those staff left behind. And so, it goes on.
“Severe weather and concerns about pollution mean the Agency’s work is more important now than ever. But the blame for any disruption must be laid solely at the government’s door.
“The solution is a wage rise that’s a better match for inflation. Otherwise, staff will continue to resign, leaving even fewer that can be called upon in emergencies. The consequences for people living in areas prone to flooding are unthinkable.”
