Some supermarket jobs now pay better than some roles at the Environment Agency, union officials in Penrith said today.
More than half-a-dozen Unison members, supported by a Prospect representative, the public and private sector service union, went on a 12-hour strike from 7am outside its offices off Gillan Way.
Penrith’s Amanda Cruddas, who has worked at the EA for 27 years and regulates water companies, said a combination of pay freezes and the occasional one per cent or two per cent lift since 2010, had seen wages lag behind.
“We are now effectively working a day for free and a job at the Environment Agency is not a well-paid job anymore,” said Amanda, whose role involves the regulation of water companies.
While not attracting the same levels of public affection as nurses and firefighters, the EA played a vital role in the environment and responding to floods, she said.
Unison members in Penrith walked out on 18th January and in December and over the festive period took industrial action short of a strike.
Prospect added that pay at the Environment Agency had been “eroded” so much since 2010, that staff now earn around 20 per cent less in real-terms, relative to the Consumer Prices Index, than they did in 2010.
Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said members are over-worked, under-staffed and under-resourced.
He said: “Low pay, low morale and recruitment and retention problems mean that the Environment Agency is struggling to fully discharge its key functions. This has resulted in delays of decades in complying with key targets on water quality. Without action being taken on pay, sewage discharges and the pollution of our waterways will only get worse.”
