Concerns have been raised about the future resilience of the Isle of Wight’s Coastguard Rescue Teams after HM Coastguard confirmed volunteer officers will no longer receive remuneration for attending incidents, training exercises and operational duties from September.
The move is the latest development in a long-running worker status dispute first reported by Island Echo more than 2 years ago.
A legal challenge was brought by former Bembridge Coastguard Rescue Team Station Officer Martin Groom, culminating in a historic victory at the Employment Appeal Tribunal, which ruled that Coastguard Rescue Officers were workers under UK law because they received remuneration for their activities.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency subsequently appealed the decision but was unsuccessful, with the Court of Appeal dismissing the challenge in January this year.
HM Coastguard has now decided to end payments to Coastguard Rescue Officers altogether, as of mid-September, a move understood to be in response to the legal judgments.
Some serving and former Coastguard Rescue Officers have warned that volunteers may leave the service, potentially impacting the ability of teams to respond to emergencies.
One volunteer said on social media:
“They ask us what we want, then shaft us. The beginning of the end of coastguard stations and a lot of lives will be lost. The cost of living crisis means no one can afford to lose wages to attend for no remuneration.”
The concerns centre on the fact that many Coastguard Rescue Officers respond to incidents during working hours, often relying on the existing remuneration arrangements to offset lost earnings and other costs associated with volunteering.
The national change all started in Bembridge, when HM Coastguard decided to ‘dismiss’ Station Officer Groom after he gave more than 30 years’ service.
Mr Groom’s membership was terminated in a meeting where a trade union official was not allowed to be present. Mr Groom claimed this was in breach of the Employment Relations Act (ERA) – but to rely on the act had to prove he was a worker and not a volunteer.
Mr Groom had served the Isle of Wight community for over 30 years, joining the service in 1985. He responded to thousands of call outs at all times of the day and night, working his way up through the ranks to lead the Bembridge team as Station Officer and in 2017 was recognised for his long service and good conduct with a 1st Clasp.
Questions are now being asked about whether teams on the Isle of Wight – based at Bembridge, Ventnor and The Needles – and elsewhere will be able to retain experienced volunteers once the payments cease.
