As thousands of Environment Agency workers began their latest strike over pay and conditions, their absence meant that flood warning systems would have to be triggered automatically if they reached certain thresholds. This is the second time in a month that the agency’s staff have stopped work, and it’s a continuation of their campaign for better pay and conditions.
The government has said that automatic flood warnings do not compromise safety, and that the risk of floods is currently low. However, Environment Agency workers are concerned about the lack of investment in staffing and equipment, which they claim could leave 600,000 English properties at risk of flooding.
Staff shortages are increasing pressure on those still working at the agency, while low pay has forced some to resort to food banks. Tom, an Environment Agency worker in the south-east, described the recent pay award as insulting and said staff feel undervalued and disrespected. “Because of the low pay, there are real problems recruiting staff,” he said. “That means we’re expected to cover vacant posts and do more for less money. The cost of my mortgage has gone up by hundreds of pounds a month, on top of skyrocketing fuel bills and food costs. I’m struggling to make ends meet.”
The agency’s workers have been staging work-to-rule actions since December and had their first full strike day in January. They will be following up this strike with a further 12-hour period of action short of strike. Discussions over pay have taken place, but Environment Agency workers are considered to be civil servants and so are affected by a wider 2% pay rise cut across the civil service.
England floodThérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, has yet to sit down with workers’ representatives, and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has accused the government of ignoring the agency’s invisible workforce. “The public might not see what they do, but day in day out, they work tirelessly behind the scenes keeping communities safe from the ravages of the weather, rogue companies polluting rivers and criminals blighting the terrain with illegal fly-tipping,” said Christina McAnea, the PCS general secretary.
The union is calling for better pay and conditions, and for the government to meet with workers to resolve the dispute. “Decent pay is a key factor in protecting the environment and keeping everyone safe. But those services can’t be provided if there’s no one to run them,” McAnea said.
In response to the strike, the Environment Agency said that it has plans in place to minimize disruption to its essential work to protect the environment and respond to critical incidents. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that the agency is meeting regularly with unions to have open and honest conversations about pay, conditions, and reform, and that defra representatives are involved in these meetings and ministers are being updated.
As the strike continues, it remains to be seen whether the government will take heed of the Environment Agency’s workers demands for better pay and conditions.