Northern Lighthouse Board balloted in dispute over real terms pay cut
Unite the union confirmed that its members employed by the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) who maintain and operate Scotland’s lighthouses, beacons and buoys at sea are in a historic first to be balloted on strike action in a dispute over pay.
Around 30 Unite members including able seamen, base assistants, cooks and technicians will take part in the ballot which opens today and closes on 24 April.
Unite members provide vital maintenance and operational support for lighthouses, beacons and buoys at sea ensuring that vessels and ships have safe passage through Scottish waters.
Alison Maclean, the union’s industrial officer, said: “Unite’s NLB members deserve a pay offer which at the very least matches that of other workers providing a key public service.
“The current two per cent offer following a pay freeze last year is insulting when inflation has jumped to its highest rate in 45 years.
“If there is no revised pay offer then quite literally the beacons and buoys at sea could go out or remain faulty due to any strike action our members could take.
“This would present major safety issues for vessels passing through Scottish waters.”
NLB said it is bound entirely by UK Government pay policy and has been left with “no room to manoeuvre.”
The NLB has offered a two per cent rise following a pay freeze last year, which “amounts to a substantial real terms pay cut over two years” said the union.
The NLB main office is based in Edinburgh with technical operations being carried out in Oban where there are maintenance workshops and facilities for the construction of beacons and buoys.
NLB technicians are also based in Inverness, Shetland and Orkney. The NLB’s has two vessels based in Oban: NLV Pharos and NLV Pole Star.
The NLB maintain 208 lighthouses across Scotland and the Isle of Man. The lighthouses are situated in some of the most remote and beautiful locations in Scotland, and guided sea mariners for over two centuries.
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