widget/exchange-29
widget/exchange-30widget/exchange-33
widget/exchange-31

News / Coastguard work to rule

SHETLAND coastguard announced on Monday that they will maintain an emergency rescue service on Wednesday, despite supporting the national day of action against government plans to cut public sector pensions.

A spokesman for the local branch of the PCS union said local coastguard officers fully supported the strike, but feel they can not leave the islands and surrounding seas without emergency cover.

Instead they will only provide distress and safety cover for vessels and persons at sea or on the coast between 8pm on Tuesday and 8pm on Wednesday. All routine duties will be suspended.

The spokesman said: “Despite the successful community campaign to keep Shetland coastguard station open, our jobs, terms and conditions are not safe as public services are being slashed.

“Everything we have worked for is under threat: our pay is frozen while inflation soars, we are being told to pay higher contributions for a smaller pension and to work longer, and this government has ripped up civil service redundancy terms.”

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Categories
widget/exchange-62widget/exchange-53widget/newsletter_form_widget-3widget/exchange-63widget/pd_widget-6widget/exchange-54widget/pd_widget-8widget/exchange-55widget/pd_widget-9widget/exchange-56

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.