Key facts
- UK coastguard chief Virginia McVea faces calls to resign over using unverified data.
- McVea claimed over 90% of rescue officers supported a pay-stripping plan, citing a survey.
- An OSR investigation found the survey did not support the claim.
- The MCA's plan followed a court ruling classifying rescue officers as workers entitled to pay.
- Maritime minister Keir Mather scrapped the pay-stripping plan.
- The GMB union reported nearly 600 CROs backed a vote of no confidence in McVea.
Virginia McVea, the chief executive of the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), is facing calls for her resignation after an investigation revealed she used unverified data to justify a controversial plan to remove pay from coastguard rescue officers (CROs).
An Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) investigation, led by director general Ed Humpherson, concluded that surveys cited by McVea did not directly ask CROs about their support for the proposed volunteer model, thus failing to substantiate claims that over 90% of officers backed the proposal. The MCA has been unable to provide further evidence to support these claims.
MPs and the GMB union, which represents CROs, have accused McVea of misleading them. Nicola Savage, a national officer for the GMB, stated that if McVea cannot produce the referenced reports, it would be considered a deliberate attempt to mislead, and she should resign. MP Joe Robertson echoed these sentiments, accusing McVea of misleading MPs and CROs during multiple meetings and calling for an apology and a written account of how the false claim was repeated.
The MCA's proposal to stop remunerating CROs stemmed from a court ruling that affirmed their status as workers entitled to minimum wage and holiday pay, despite volunteering for service. The agency sought to reclassify them as volunteers rather than respect this status.
Leaked results from an MCA survey in July suggested that CROs were asked about the impact of volunteer and worker models on their availability, and those who indicated they would be less able to respond as volunteers, or who replied "other," were included in the support figures. The agency stated at the time that survey findings were considered alongside other factors but did not elaborate.
Ultimately, maritime minister Keir Mather scrapped the plan in response to widespread criticism. While CROs await a new system, the option of not paying them is reportedly off the table.