Coastguard stage bridge protest over pay battle
Pippa Unwin/LDRSCoastguard crews met on a bridge as part of a protest over a dispute on pay and their legal status as workers.
Teams from across Devon and Cornwall gathered on Tamar Bridge, which links Plymouth and Saltash, as talks over how they are remunerated continue.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) had sought to move members of its coastguard rescue teams to an expenses-only volunteer model, prompting fears many would reduce their availability or leave the service altogether.
A spokesperson for the MCA said the organisation had since agreed a pause in the plans so it can do more work to understand the impact of any potential changes.
Coastguard rescue officers (CROs) are paid an hourly rate when on callouts, but the MCA wanted to scrap those payments so it could classify them as volunteers, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Pippa Unwin, a member of the Bigbury Coastguard Rescue Team, said: "This is the pause that we have been campaigning for.
"It hasn't gone away but it gives us a chance to go about our rescues during the busy summer months without the worry we previously had."
Pippa Unwin/LDRSThe GMB union is now acting for coastguards, with efforts ongoing to encourage more individuals to join it officially so that the MCA recognises the membership cohort.
Conservative MP for South West Devon, Rebecca Smith, joined the protesters and said she would "keep pushing for a lasting solution".
An MCA spokesperson said the organisation had listened to CROs and "heard the strength of feeling".
They added the pause in plans would allow them time to "engage extensively with our hard-working officers" and "understand more deeply the potential impact of any changes".
They noted Coastguard Rescue Officers would "continue to receive existing remuneration" in the meantime.