The UK’s 600 Coastguard officers are discussing the possibility of full-blown strike action if their longstanding calls for increased pay are ignored. They argue that they provide a skilled and essential service for what, in some cases, is McJob pay.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents HM Coastguard, is drawing attention to the fact that basic pay for a watch assistant with a year’s training is £11,000 a year, equivalent to £5.46 an hour, only slightly more than the compulsory UK national minimum wage of £5.35.

Read more in my blog.