Category: environment agency

EA workers renew strike mandate

UNISON has announced that Environment Agency members have secured a mandate for strike action over the next six months after the recent industrial action ballot.

The new mandate marks a continuation of the dispute, begun last year, where EA members voted for strike action over pay for the first time in the agency’s history.

Donna Rowe-Merriman, national secretary for the sector, said: “Workers have endured over a decade of pay erosion where the value of their pay has reduced by over 20%, and have said enough is enough.

“The result demonstrates that EA members have not been disheartened by lack of action from the government and the employer and are still committed to taking industrial action, including strike action, to secure a fair pay deal.

“UNISON’s position remains the same: the union is willing to sit down with the government in good faith to try and find a way to resolve this dispute.

“However, EA members have said they are ready to take further industrial action and, unless the government agree to get around the table, it will happen.”

The article EA workers renew strike mandate first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Environment agency workers to walk out for four more days, says UNISON

Thousands of Environment Agency workers in England are to strike for four days over pay later this month, blaming government inaction for putting communities, waters and wildlife at risk, says UNISON today (Wednesday).

Despite months of strikes and other action where workers have taken themselves off ‘on call’ incident response rotas, ministers have made no attempt to invite unions in for pay talks, says UNISON.

The union’s latest action means staff working on coastal sea defences, protecting communities from floods, tackling water pollution, waste fires and fly-tipping will strike from 7pm next Friday (14 April). They will be out all that weekend until 7am on the Monday morning (17 April).

Endemic low pay and uncompetitive wage rates mean the Environment Agency is struggling to hold on to experienced staff and recruit new employees.

This growing staffing emergency means the Agency’s incident response and enforcement teams are already too thinly stretched to keep England’s waterways sewage-free and communities safe from harm, warns UNISON.

The longer the government persists with its ‘do nothing’ approach to staffing problems at the Agency, the worse the situation will become, the union adds.

Several recent environmental incidents, such as a huge fire at a textile factory in Mansfield and the Poole Harbour oil spill show how valuable Agency workers are in dealing with serious pollution events.

But the government’s refusal to allow the Environment Agency to improve the pay increase of 2% plus £345 given to staff in the autumn means workers have no alternative but to reluctantly strike again, says UNISON.

Where there is a threat to life or property from major incidents like flooding, Agency officers will step in as emergency ‘life and limb cover’ during the dispute has been agreed.

UNISON head of environment Donna Rowe-Merriman said: “Every community in England needs these experienced employees to help keep their local environment safe.

“All talk and very little action best describe the government’s approach to environmental policy. Announcements come and go, but nothing much happens to clean up England’s seas, rivers, lakes, and canals.

“This must change. The government needs a properly staffed Environment Agency if natural habitats and water sources are to be protected. But with too few experts on its books, the Agency can’t possibly punish the polluters and keep everyone safe.

“Therese Coffey should stop ignoring the plight of these invaluable workers and start tackling the growing staffing problems at the Environment Agency.

“Hourly rates are so low, some staff had to be given an emergency pay rise at the start of the week or their employer would have been in breach of minimum wage laws.

“It’s time the government called in the employer and the unions to settle this damaging dispute once and for all.”

Notes to editors:
– The minimum wage went up to £10.42 an hour on Saturday 1 April. Prior to this, the lowest paid workers at the Environment Agency were on £9.53 an hour.
– Environment Agency staff belonging to UNISON have been taking some form of industrial action since late December. As well as action short of a strike, staff have walked out on two previous occasions – 18 January and 7/8 February. Members of Prospect are also taking action at the Agency.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 865794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

 

The article Environment agency workers to walk out for four more days, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

EA members announce new strike dates as pay falls below minimum wage

UNISON members at the Environment Agency (EA) have announced further strike action. They are due to walk out from 7pm on 14 April to 7am on 17 April.

EA workers have been taking last resort industrial action since December 2022, after the organisation failed to offer a fair pay rise in the face of soaring household bills and inflation.

They staged a 12-hour walkout in February, picketing the EA’s head offices in London. And in the past two weeks they have stopped attending incidents at weekends, including floods, water pollution, spills, waste fires and fly-tipping.

With no signs of negotiation from EA management, workers have been forced to escalate their protest, with strike action now planned for 14-17 April.

From April, the lowest pay rate at the EA (£9.53 per hour) will fall below the new national living wage of £10.24 per hour, meaning the agency would have to increase rates if it is to meet minimum legal standards.

EA workers have seen pay fall since 2011, with the result that the union believes they are effectively working one day a week for free. A UNISON survey has revealed that some EA workers are now relying on food banks.

Donna Rowe-Merriman, UNISON’s national secretary for business, community and environment, said: “Environment Agency workers deserve better. They deserve better from their employer and better from a government that has the ability to come to the table to negotiate an improved settlement for some of the lowest paid public sector workers.

“If they don’t take action, our members will.”

The article EA members announce new strike dates as pay falls below minimum wage first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Environment agency workers begin fresh wave of industrial action

Today thousands of Environment Agency (EA) workers in England will stop weekend attendance at incidents such as floods, water pollution, spills, waste fires and fly-tipping.

The industrial action is set to continue for three weeks, with workers refusing to volunteer for ‘on call’ cover between Friday evening and Monday morning.

Where there is a threat to life from incidents such as a major flood, officers will step in as emergency ‘life and limb cover’ has been agreed by the union.

This new wave of industrial action follows a 12-hour walk out in February (pictured), when workers attended pickets outside the Environment Agency’s Marsham Street offices in London.

UNISON members working at the agency have seen pay fall since 2011, meaning that staff effectively work one day a week for free.

Members have been taking last resort industrial action since December 2022, after the organisation failed to offer a fair pay rise in the face of soaring household bills and inflation.

UNISON National Secretary for the Environment Donna Rowe-Merriman said: “UNISON has maintained that pay in the Agency has fallen behind – and for the lowest paid wages will fall below the National Living Wage. This is a disgrace – and action needs to be taken now for all staff to get the pay they deserve.

“We call on the government to enable the Environment Agency to look at innovative ways to resolve the dispute quickly to prevent further disruption – such as the approach that has been agreed with NHS unions.

“Staff are proud to play a vital role in keeping communities safe but feel constantly taken for granted and ignored by a government that has persistently failed to invest in the Environment Agency.

“Wages 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.

“The blame for any disruption must be laid solely at the Westminster government’s door as the action is a direct result of government pay policy.

“The solution remains a wage rise that’s a better match for inflation and addresses the rising cost of living. 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.”

From April, the lowest pay rate at the EA will fall below the national living wage, forcing the agency to increase rates to meet minimum legal standards.

The article Environment agency workers begin fresh wave of industrial action first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Recap: Second day of EA strikes

Environment Agency workers across the country walked out yesterday, in their second day of strike action over pay this year.

UNISON’s head of environment, Donna Rowe-Merriman, said: “EA members will not be ignored on the issue of pay any longer. They have taken strike action to ensure their issues are recognised by the public – and by their employer.

“Our members will not be pushed from pillar to post – they want action from this government to resolve pay, now, for their families and to prevent more staff from leaving the agency.

“The onus lies with the chancellor – to allow the agency to engage fully with the EA trade unions to seek a resolution for the 2022/23 pay round, and to ensure that a robust process is in place for 2023/24 pay discussions.”

Photographer Marcus Rose was on hand at the Environment Agency’s Marsham Street offices in London, where UNISON and Prospect members were picketing.

A UNISON branded sign says 'Fair pay in the EA' a person walks past it in the background

Two people in High vis tops wave UNISON flags on an EA picket line

An EA striker hands a passer-by a leaflet

UNISON and Prospect unite on the picket lines outside the Environment Agency on Marsham Street, London SW1.

Orange UNISON steward armband round a high-viz jacket arm

Prospect and UNISON strikers on EA pciket line 8 Feb

UNISON and Prospect unite on the picket lines outside the Environment Agency on Marsham Street, London SW1.

UNISON and Prospect unite on the picket lines outside the Environment Agency on Marsham Street, London SW1.

 

Some highlights from the rest of the country

 

 

The article Recap: Second day of EA strikes first appeared on the UNISON National site.

The growing importance of the EA

Tuesday marked the 70  year anniversary of the North Sea Flood when over 300 people lost their lives across Scotland and England’s east coast in 1953 when a storm surge overwhelmed sea defences in over 1,200 places along the UK’s east coast and, in today’s terms, causing around £1.2bn of damage.

To mark the day, UNISON organised a roundtable event for Westminster parliamentarians to learn about the work of the Environment Agency (EA) as well as understand the issues currently affecting it.

MPs and peers from across the political spectrum attended and agreed on the importance of the work that EA workers undertake.

The roundtable opened by addressing the role played by EA staff in responding to the North Sea Flood, and recognised that, with the impact of the climate crisis worsening every year, the work of the agency and its staff is becoming more important than ever before.

Discussion highlighted the key role of the EA in meeting the UK’s climate obligations and emphasised that a well-resourced agency should be something all parties can agree on in order to ensure the country maintains an environment that is fit for the future, as well as being prepared in the event of flooding and other environmental disasters.

Within this discussion, the need for higher pay was recognised as key for the EA to be able to operate.

Pay in the EA

However, while the agency is now a fourth emergency service, staff have been underpaid and undervalued by the government for over a decade.

The attendees heard that the real value of pay in the EA has been eroded significantly, with pay awards falling below the rate of inflation in every year but one since 2010.

This meant that in 2021, even before historic inflation rates began to bite, the average EA worker’s salary was 20% lower than it would have been if pay rises had kept pace with inflation for a decade – the equivalent of working one day in five for free.

It was acknowledged that most staff in the agency are not just working for the money but are passionate about the service they provide, however, as a consequence of years of pay degradation, many experienced agency workers are voting with their feet and have left the agency to seek better pay with employers that recognise the value of their skills and experience.

Moving on to the current dispute the roundtable addressed the fact that in 2022, EA workers received a pay offer of 2% plus £345 consolidated increase with an average increase in take-home pay of just 46p per hour, at a time when inflation reached over 13%.

This has led to serious recruitment and retention issues in the agency and caused Sir James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency, to write to the environment secretary to say that the level of pay rises offered to EA staff in 2022-23 was “unjust, unwise, and unfair [when] EA employees have taken a series of real terms pay cuts, while working harder and harder”.

Low morale, poor remuneration, an ageing workforce, and the difficulty in recruiting hinders the EA’s ability to deliver on its objectives and the strength of feeling among workers about this became clear toward the end of 2022.

Industrial action

In October the pay offer was put to UNISON members, resulting in an 87% vote to reject it, with the subsequent industrial action ballot in November returning a 73% vote for strike action.

As a result, over December EA workers undertook nine days of industrial action short of strike in the form of a withdrawal from ‘voluntary’ incident response cover, with a full day of strike action following on 18 January and another planned for 8 February.

Moving forward

During the roundtable, support was shown for a debate in parliament on the issue of EA pay as well as offers to make contact with the DEFRA secretary of state to see what options exist for resolving the dispute.

UNISON national secretary for the environment Donna Rowe-Merriman, said: “The roundtable was an important opportunity to speak directly to legislators about an under-reported issue, and it was very successful in that respect.

“Moving forward, however, UNISON is calling on all parliamentarians from across the political spectrum to take action on this issue. Environment Agency workers do some of the most important jobs to protect and secure the environment for both today and tomorrow’s generations and the government must be held to account on its denial of a fair pay settlement.

“It is vital that environmental protection officers, biodiversity officers, flood defence workers and countless other roles crucial to maintaining environmental protection and safety receive a fair pay settlement that recognises the added impact of the current cost of living crisis.”

The article The growing importance of the EA first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Unions join forces for Environment Agency strike next week 

Thousands of Environment Agency employees belonging to UNISON and Prospect are to take strike action next week in the growing dispute about pay, say the unions today (Tuesday).

Staff working in river inspection, flood forecasting, coastal risk management and pollution control will stage a 12-hour strike on Wednesday (8 February) starting at 7am.

In addition, for 12 hours either side of the walkout, Environment Agency employees will escalate their ongoing work to rule by withdrawing from incident response rotas, say the unions.

This action short of a strike starts at 7pm on Tuesday, and kicks in again immediately at the end of the strike for another 12 hours, concluding at 7am on Thursday.

During these hours, there’ll be fewer experienced Environment Agency staff to provide cover if an incident occurs, say the unions.

However, where there’s a genuine threat to life or property from something like a major flood, officers will step in as emergency ‘life and limb cover’ has been agreed with Agency managers.

Environment Agency staff belonging to UNISON took strike action earlier this month (18 January). Now their colleagues who are in Prospect will join them for the first joint strike.

Employees in both unions have been working to their contracts and refusing to volunteer for overtime for several weeks. And for short periods around the festive season they withdrew from incident rosters.

The unions are critical of the government for not doing anything to end the dispute. Both want ministers to grant senior managers at the Environment Agency permission to start proper pay negotiations.

The government’s failure to fund the Agency properly over many years, say the two unions, is why wages are too low and nowhere near the going rate for the skilled jobs these workers do.

Environment Agency employees got a 2% pay rise (plus £345) this year, but in 2021/22 most staff received nothing. Overall, wages there have fallen by more than 20% in real terms since 2010, say the unions.

That’s prompted many staff to depart for better paid jobs, leaving the Environment Agency struggling to cope. Severe staff shortages have placed intolerable pressure on the workforce. With too few employees, there’s an increasing risk of inadequate responses to major environmental incidents, UNISON and Prospect say.

UNISON head of environment Donna Rowe-Merriman said: “Communities across England are kept safe because of the tireless efforts of Environment Agency workers.

“Staff shortages and persistent underfunding have left the Agency in a difficult place, without the employees to meet the growing challenges posed by climate change.

“Not a single Environment Agency worker wants to take action but the government’s failure to find a solution has left them with no other option but to walk out again next month.

“It’s in everyone’s best interests that a solution is found quickly. The government must act now to get talks in motion that could prevent further escalation.”

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy said: “Low pay, under-resourcing and under-staffing mean it’s almost impossible for Environment Agency staff to properly inspect, regulate and protect the natural environment.

“This has resulted in problems including sewage discharge and pollution of waterways, which will only get worse unless action is taken.

“Staff love their jobs, but simply cannot continue to do them when their pay is decreasing in real terms every single year. The only option left is industrial action.

“To protect the environment, regulators must be properly resourced. That means fair pay and recruiting and retaining a skilled, experienced workforce. If that doesn’t happen, the regulator can’t do its job, and everybody suffers.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON and Prospect have balloted thousands of staff at the Environment Agency. UNISON members took strike action on 18 January, having already taken action short of strike action in December. Prospect has been taking action short of a strike since 19 December 2022.
– Emergency cover plans have been agreed with senior managers at the Agency ensuring officers will step in wherever there’s a threat to life or property.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
– Prospect represents 150,000 members in the public and private sectors. Its members work as curators, educators, engineers, scientists, managers and specialists in areas as diverse as agriculture, regulation, communications, defence, entertainment, energy, environment, heritage, industry, media and transport.

Media contacts:
UNISON: Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Prospect: Graham Moonie M: 07889 337719 E: graham.moonie@prospect.org.uk

The article Unions join forces for Environment Agency strike next week  first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Recap: Striking for fair pay in the Environment Agency

Thousands of environment agency workers from across the country took strike action over pay on Wednesday for the first time in the agency’s history.

Environment Agency salaries have fallen by more than 20% compared to inflation since 2010, which means staff are effectively working one day in every five for free.

To make matter worse, workers were only given a 2% pay rise (plus £345) for this financial year, but the previous year, the majority of staff had a pay freeze and received nothing at all.

River inspectors, flood forecasting officers, coastal risk management officers, sewage plant attendants and staff at the Thames Barrier are among those who walked out, escalating their industrial action after refusing to do voluntary overtime in the run up to the festive period.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea visited some of the agency strikers at the Thames Barrier to show her and the union’s solidarity.

Blog: Standing with our EA members

Photos by Marcus Rose

UNISON General Secretary, Christina McAnea, visits striking workers at the Thames Barrier.

UNISON General Secretary, Christina McAnea, visits striking workers at the Thames Barrier.

UNISON General Secretary, Christina McAnea, visits striking workers at the Thames Barrier.

UNISON General Secretary, Christina McAnea, visits striking workers at the Thames Barrier.

UNISON General Secretary, Christina McAnea, visits striking workers at the Thames Barrier.

A striking UNISON environment agency member standing in front of the Thames Barrier with a UNISON flag

UNISON General Secretary, Christina McAnea, visits striking workers at the Thames Barrier.

Highlights from the rest of the country

Meanwhile, Environment Agency workers were out on picket lines across the rest of the country – here are just a few of the highlights from the day.

 

 

The article Recap: Striking for fair pay in the Environment Agency first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Ministers must invest in Environment Agency staff or communities will be at long-term risk

Thousands of Environment Agency staff who play a vital role in protecting communities across England will walk out today (Wednesday) as they strike over pay for the first time*, says UNISON.

River inspectors, flood forecasting officers, coastal risk management officers, sewage plant attendants and staff at the Thames Barrier are among those escalating their industrial action after refusing to do voluntary overtime in the run up to and during the festive period**.

Under-pressure staff say they’ve voted to strike over pay because over the years the government’s failure to fund the Environment Agency properly has led to squeezed budgets and wage rises that bear no relation to the cost of living or the going rate for some skilled jobs.

As a result, there are now severe staffing shortages across the whole of the Environment Agency, says UNISON. This has increased pressure on employees still in post and threatened the Agency’s ability to cope with disasters, the union adds.

To make matters worse, says UNISON, ministers have completely ignored the growing problems across the organisation caused by poor pay.

Only last week, cabinet ministers met several unions representing public service workers in a range of sectors facing industrial disputes. But there were no talks between environment secretary Therese Coffey and unions to discuss the ongoing difficulties and the growing dispute at the Agency.

The experienced workforce performs a wide range of essential roles like managing threats in flood-prone areas, maintaining sea defences, monitoring and tackling pollution spills in rivers and on land, and even ensuring radioactive material for life-changing medical treatment is handled safely.

Pressure on these services is magnified at the moment as the extreme winter weather affects millions of people across the country, with rising river levels after prolonged bouts of rain.

There are currently more than 80 severe flood warnings in place in England and more than 110 flood alerts, with Agency staff advising on evacuations, constructing barricades, and pumping water from homes and land.

Despite employees’ vital work, salaries have fallen by more than 20% compared to inflation since 2010, which means staff are effectively working one day in every five for free, says UNISON.

Environment Agency employees were only given a 2% pay rise (plus £345) for this financial year, but  the previous year the majority of staff had a pay freeze and received nothing at all.

Improved pay is a must, says UNISON, and the government has to allow the Agency to negotiate directly with unions and staff to start tackling the recruitment and retention problems caused by long-term pay erosion.

**Last month, thousands of workers belonging to UNISON started working to rule and sticking to their contracted hours. Staff also refused to volunteer to be ‘on call’ to deal with emergency incidents for several days.

Today this will be scaled up significantly with a full strike from 8am to 5pm. However, UNISON has been careful to agree an emergency cover plan with senior managers at the Agency ensuring that officers will step in wherever there’s a threat to life or property.

UNISON head of environment Donna Rowe-Merriman said: “Communities up and down the country are at huge risk without the services Environment Agency employees provide. Staff are simply fed up with being taken for granted. This neglect cannot continue.

“Years without any wage increase or pitiful pay rises well below the cost of living, have taken a huge toll. Experienced workers are quitting in large numbers for better wages elsewhere and roles can’t be filled.

“The employer is sympathetic to the need for improved wages. But managers are powerless to act unless the government improves funding and allows meaningful negotiations to take place.

“The environment secretary was missing in action last week while other ministers were talking to unions about disputes and pay.

“Climate change is making extreme weather all the more common, so sitting back and allowing the situation to deteriorate, without the staff to tackle the growing problems isn’t an option.

“No one wants to strike, but Agency staff feel they’ve left no other option. The government must get involved and find the funding so there can be positive moves on pay.”

Notes to editors:
– *This is the first Environment Agency strike over pay but not the first strike involving staff there. They previously took action over the threat to their pensions just over a decade ago. Around 2,800 staff were balloted at the Agency.
– UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea will be visiting the Thames Barrier at 10am today to meet striking Environment Agency staff. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak will visit the Newcastle picket line (Tyneside House, Elswick, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE4 7AR) from 8.45am to 9.05am. A list of other picket lines can be found here.
– Comments from Environment Agency workers:
“I’ve worked in flood risk management for more than 30 years, providing a vital service for the communities we serve. But over the past decade our workload has significantly increased as we adapt to climate change, yet our pay has diminished. We’re asked to be available to cover all types of incidents, but standby payments are poor and don’t compensate for the impact on family life. Recruiting people into technical roles is increasingly difficult with wages falling further behind the private sector and staff understandably leaving for better-paid roles. Our ability to deliver the service local communities need and expect is being hugely compromised.”
“The decade of pay cuts has an impact on every aspect of day-to-day life. It affects both the home and area where you can afford to live. It affects the ability to save for life’s unexpected emergencies and to borrow if you need to. We’ve voted to take strike action – but colleagues are also voting with their feet and leaving for better-paid jobs. The Agency now has to pay higher rates for contractors to cover the work of vacant posts, while highly skilled, experienced and loyal staff continue to leave.”
“We’ve carried vacancies of between 50 and 60% in field teams for nearly three years because the pay isn’t good. As a direct result, many more people’s homes are at a greater risk of flooding.”
“Twelve years of austerity has really taken the shine off doing a job that I have always loved. The constant erosion of living standards has eroded morale, just as the UK enters a critical period for climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution of our land and oceans. For the sake of a decent pay settlement, we could lose so much more.”
“I’m striking because I’m fed up with relentless decreases to my real-terms income. I had a good promotion a few years back, but I still earn less, in real terms, than I did ten years ago. The Agency can no longer recruit the people it needs to protect the environment. Existing staff care deeply about water quality, pollution and flooding but as our chief executive says, ‘you get the environment you pay for’.”
“I’m fed up with relying on second-hand school uniform and shoes for my children because I don’t have enough money. The house is always cold because we can’t afford to have the heating on. Imagine what it’s like to tell your children they can’t go to the pantomime this year and seeing the sadness in their faces.”
“For years, when inflation was low, we could just about manage with salaries staying still because prices weren’t on the increase. But with inflation soaring, I just don’t know what to do. I’m having to decide on a weekly basis whether to heat our home properly or eat healthily. It’s not possible to do both.”
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Press contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

 

The article Ministers must invest in Environment Agency staff or communities will be at long-term risk first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Blog: Standing with our members at the Environment Agency

Pay erosion is the common crisis across many public services that’s now resulting in waves of industrial action. The problem is rooted in the political decision, first taken by the 2010 coalition government, to cut funding to our public services.

Successive governments have refused to depart from that decision ever since.

For workers in the Environment Agency (EA), their pay has been devalued by 20% over that time. Mix that with the cost of living crisis, a pay freeze from July 2020 to November 2022, and it’s no wonder workers at the EA rejected the latest pay offer of around 2% + £345.

It’s well below inflation, so they’ve been left with no option but to take their first strike action over pay for the first time in the agency’s history.

EA workers are emergency workers too, keeping communities safe by responding to floods, pollution, waste fires, fly-tipping, and maintaining the Thames Barrier and sea defences, every day of the year.

But their low pay has pushed them to breaking point and they’ll walk out on Wednesday 18 January from 8am until 5pm.

UNISON and EA workers have agreed escalation plans and life and limb cover with the employer for the duration of the strike. But the action could have been avoided if the government had stepped in to unlock pay negotiations.

The government says it values the Environment Agency’s work, but it has put the agency – and the communities depending on it – at risk, by underfunding it for years. Expecting staff to accept declining living standards, and greater workloads as vacancies increase when their colleagues go to find better paid work elsewhere.

UNISON has called on the DEFRA Minister to step in to resolve the pay dispute. But until then, we’ll be supporting striking EA workers in their action, and I’ll be meeting workers who have taken the difficult decision to go on strike at the Thames Barrier this Wednesday.

Environment Agency workers to take historic strike action

UNISON calls on minister to unlock pay talks 

The article Blog: Standing with our members at the Environment Agency first appeared on the UNISON National site.