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Environment Agency workers will launch a weekend of strikes on Friday evening in a long-running dispute over pay.
Unison said the walkout, from 1900BST on Friday until 700BST on Monday, marks a ‘significant escalation’ of industrial action that began last year.
The union said staff have had a ‘terrible deal’ which amounts to one of the worst wage rises paid to public sector workers.
Unison has written to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt urging him to intervene in the dispute and free up more money so the agency can pay its employees ‘fairly’ and is calling on Environment Secretary Therese Coffey to hold pay talks with unions.
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: ‘There’s a strong danger that without Government intervention the damaging dispute over this woeful wage increase could drag on for months.
‘That would cause further discontent among staff and leave at-risk communities without proper protection.
‘Uncompetitive pay has forced many of the lowest paid workers at the agency to quit for higher-waged work elsewhere.
‘Others, in specialist technical roles, are also leaving for jobs where they feel their skills will be better recognised and their experience more valued.
‘With environmental damage and rising pollution levels in the spotlight like never before, and climate change intensifying the pressure on services, this is no time to leave the agency understaffed.
‘This dispute has gone on for far too long. It’s in everyone’s interests to get round the table, find the extra funding to secure essential services and hammer out a deal.’
Environment Agency staff were given a pay increase of 2% plus £345 last autumn.
A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesperson said: ‘The Environment Agency are meeting regularly with unions to have conversations about pay, conditions and reform.
‘Defra representatives are involved in these meetings and ministers are being updated.’
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: ‘As a public sector organisation, the Environment Agency remains bound by the pay policy of the government of the day.
‘We have plans in place to minimise disruption to our essential work to protect the environment and respond to critical incidents.’
source: PA
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