Conservative MP Joe Robertson has launched a blistering attack on Maritime Minister Keir Mather and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), accusing them of mismanagement and disrespect towards frontline rescue workers. In a guest column, Robertson argues that Mather is "so far out of his depth that he needs the coastguard rescue officers to save him."
Coastguard Rescue Officers: Essential Workers Paid Below Minimum Wage
Robertson highlights the critical role of Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs), who are often the first responders to emergencies along Britain's 19,000 miles of coastline. These incidents range from cliff rescues to mud rescues, suicide attempts, and unexploded devices. In his constituency on the Isle of Wight, CROs responded to a tragic helicopter crash last August Bank Holiday weekend.
Despite their vital work, CROs receive just £11 per hour for their training and call-outs—less than the National Minimum Wage. Unlike police, ambulance, and fire services, they are not employed as full-time emergency workers but are classified as volunteers, often juggling other jobs such as medics, mechanics, tradespeople, or ex-military personnel.
Legal Battle Exposes MCA's Misclassification of Workers
Robertson points to the case of his constituent Martin Groom, who took the MCA to court over his mistreatment and won. Groom argued that CROs are workers entitled to basic rights, not disposable volunteers as the MCA claimed. The MCA wasted taxpayers' money by fighting through three tiers of court, ultimately losing. In response to the Court of Appeal ruling, the MCA announced plans from September to strip CROs of their hourly pay entirely, pushing them into a new volunteer status.
"It is staggering that the MCA wasted taxpayers' money dragging Martin through three tiers of the court system to argue that people with the title of 'officer' who receive hourly pay, tax deductions and payslips are volunteers," Robertson writes.
Misleading Survey and Ministerial Complacency
Maritime Minister Keir Mather has defended the MCA's proposals, claiming they reflect the wishes of CROs based on an internal survey. At a recent parliamentary meeting, MCA chief executive Virginia McVea told MPs that 93% of respondents preferred to be "unpaid volunteers." However, Robertson reveals that this figure is misleading. Nearly half of respondents said they would have to reduce hours or quit altogether if pay were removed, as they could not afford to work without compensation. The survey also showed that many more respondents preferred the worker model.
Robertson accuses the MCA of being an "arrogant, ivory-tower quango" detached from frontline realities. He calls on the government to intervene, not just to stop the pay cut but to overhaul the agency's leadership. "The question is no longer simply whether the MCA has got this decision wrong—it has. It is now about whether the government will step in and stop it from happening," he writes.
Public Safety at Risk
Robertson warns that stripping CROs of pay threatens public safety, as it undermines a highly trained, safety-critical emergency service. He urges Mather to reconsider his confidence in the MCA's leadership, noting that the minister refused to answer this question in the House of Commons last week. "Mather is not an uncaring man. He is a decent minister drowning in bad advice," Robertson concludes.
