The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has decided to cease hourly payments to coastguard rescue officers (CROs) starting in September, aiming to reclassify them legally as volunteers. This move has sparked accusations that a government minister and a senior official misled Members of Parliament (MPs) about the implications of a court ruling.
Keir Mather, the maritime minister, and Virginia McVea, the MCA's chief executive, have been accused of making false statements to MPs. On Wednesday, Mather faced questions during a Westminster Hall debate, while McVea was alleged to have misled MPs in a meeting a week earlier. The controversy intensified as coastguard officers gathered in Westminster, expressing deep sadness and calling for a pause in the process to allow negotiations.
Court Ruling and MCA Response
The dispute stems from a January Court of Appeal judgment that confirmed CROs have been serving as workers, not volunteers. Lord Justice Bean noted that the payment for callout time was a key factor in this determination. Instead of recognizing this worker status, the MCA chose to stop payments to enable legal classification of CROs as volunteers.
Conservative MP for Isle of Wight East, Joe Robertson, accused Mather of misleading MPs by claiming the judgment had changed the legal status of CROs. Robertson stated, "The government and MCA must stop peddling this line … It is simply not true and the minister should know better. The court found that CROs are already workers, which is hardly surprising considering they get hourly pay and payslips." He added that the MCA's handling of backdated tax and pay liabilities indicates acknowledgment that CROs have been workers for some time.
Inconsistencies in MCA Statements
Initially, the MCA claimed its changes were a mandated consequence of the judgment. However, on June 19, it acknowledged that the ruling did not specify a particular model to follow. Despite this, McVea was accused of telling MPs five days later that the judge's ruling left the MCA with no choice.
Torcuil Crichton, Labour MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, described the meeting as "stormy," with defensive MCA representatives and angry MPs. Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said McVea had "tried to mislead MPs." The MCA did not dispute the accuracy of these accounts and declined to comment on why McVea repeated claims the agency had acknowledged as false.
Survey Findings Disputed
Robertson further alleged that McVea shifted to claiming CROs wanted the change, citing a survey with 93% support. However, the survey results, seen by the Guardian and not disputed by the MCA, did not directly gauge support for either model. Instead, it asked how each model would affect availability. The MCA included responses indicating reduced availability under the volunteer model as support for the change, and did not present the worker model's potentially higher support to MPs.
The MCA stated that "survey findings were considered alongside a range of operational, legal and practical factors," but refused to elaborate. Employment lawyer Nigel Mackay noted that preserving worker status and flexibility was within the MCA's power, requiring only slight cost increases for minimum wage and holiday pay.
MCA's Justification and Response
The MCA has argued that the volunteer model offers flexibility valued by coastguard officers, avoiding formal employment constraints. An MCA spokesperson said, "The court of appeal ruling meant we had to change the way the coastguard currently operates. After careful consideration, we judged the volunteer model to be the best option to protect the future of the service, as it allows members more flexibility to continue to serve alongside their primary employment." The Department for Transport has been approached for comment.
