Who Guards the Coastguards?

Coastguards are a little bit like gravediggers, insofar as when they go on strike you realise the Government are getting something terribly wrong. This week saw the first ever strike action by East Anglia's coastgaurds in protest at the pitiful pay offer of 1.9%. We may value the Coastguard service and consider them 4th emergency service (even above the AA who have tried to pinch that nomenclature) but the truth is they are very badly paid indeed. The most a top grade Coastguard can aspire to earn is a mere £23,000, well below the average income.

The Government set out its belt-tightening programme for public workers last year with a message to the police and other public servants that they could not expect any increase above 2%. The argument put by Ministers was police pay (like nurse and teachers) had gone up significantly in the last 10 years and there is some truth in that. The Government stuck to its guns with the cops, but the price of Jacqui Smith saving HM Treasury a mere £40m has meant losing the goodwill of the rank and file officers. They have even gone to the High Court for a Judicial Review. If our Jacqs is invited address the Police Federation Conference this year she's be advised to take a riot shield.

Other pay settlements have busted this 70s style incomes policy. Ed Balls, in typically unilateral manner, offered the teachers over 2.5% although it was not enough to put off a strike anyway. Alan Johnson offered the nurses even more, 8% over three years.

Not all are doing as well. The public sector workers who hold little public affection are the 650,000 civil servants and they have been enduring below inflation increases for at least 15 years. The Government introduced family tax credits in 2001 to ensure a minimum income for working families of £200 a week - it is a supreme irony that more than half the civil servants at the Department of work and Pensions who administer the tax credits are on such low wages that they are also entitled to receive them. Not suprisngly 100,000 civil servants will strike on 24 April to co-incide with the first national walkout by teachers since 1987.

Incidentally going on strike is not altogther straightforward in Whitehall, senior officials have been known to request the names of all middle managers who supported strike action. The implication is clear; strike if you like, but don't expect a long career.