TRANSPORT SELECT COMMITTEE - Recommendation
14
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and
Public & Commercial Services Union (PCS)
JOINT STATEMENT
1.The MCA and PCS are pleased to have this opportunity
to address the inconsistencies in evidence between their respective
organisations given to the Committee at its hearing on 2 March
2005.
a. Staffing levels in Coastguard Operations Rooms
The MCA and PCS have discussed the staffing levels
at co-ordination centres and acknowledged that there is currently
an issue with regard to vacant posts currently being filled by
staff from lower grades on temporary and geographic promotion.
Both the MCA and PCS recognise that these vacancies need to be
filled with fully trained staff in the substantive grade, at the
correct complement levels. Both the MCA and PCS will set up a
working party to look at accurate collection of data of staffing
levels, individual staff competencies, the use of temporary and
geographic promotion, and the risk assessment process for correct
staffing levels and competencies within operations rooms.
b. Skills of Watch Staff
Watch Officer shortages within a co-ordination centre's
operations room have been recognised by the MCA and a "Training
Ahead of Need" scheme introduced. Staff at the basic grade
will, on recommendation from their line management, be trained
to perform the work of the next higher grade. In other words they
will be trained ahead of need and capable of carrying out the
job of the next higher grade immediately on promotion without
any skills gap. The training will also enable officers to gain
valuable experience by deputising for the higher grade under the
direct supervision of a watch manager. The MCA will continue to
work with the PCS to ensure that the scheme remains relevant.
However the current process of temporary and geographic promotion
needs to be reviewed to ensure the skills of watch staff are not
diluted to the detriment of SAR activities.
c. Development of operational partnerships between
co-ordination centres and any restructuring
The introduction of new technology and revised management
arrangements agreed between MCA and PCS have allowed for 3 trials
to be run based on the "pairing" of co-ordination centres
(Brixham/Falmouth,Aberdeen/Forth and Solent/Portland) and their
development as operational partnerships. This will potentially
allow paired stations to become equal partners to support each
other during incidents. It may also, where appropriate, allow
one partner to take over the other centre's area of responsibility
to release staff at that centre to undertake other work, e.g.
SAR training or accident prevention work.
However both the MCA and PCS accept that pairing
co-ordination centres inevitably raises a number of technical,
operational and staffing issues which need to be properly assessed.
It is agreed that the lessons learned from the pairing trials
should be shared with other partnerships to enable further work
to be taken forward in developing these partnerships. A report
on each of the trials will be submitted to and discussed in the
first instance at Regional Joint Working Groups and later at the
National Joint Working Group.
d. The reliability of the VISION IT System
The installation of the Incident Management System
(IMS)/VISION has been completed. The issues raised concerning
the operation of the system are being addressed and some final
improvements are in the process of being implemented. However
the MCA and PCS can confirm that IMS/VISION is operationally
sound.
2.The MCA and PCS also agree that any further modernisation
and restructuring of the SAR response and co-ordination service
provided by MCA is taken forward through joint consultation and
agreement between the PCS and MCA.
3.The MCA and PCS would also like to take this opportunity
to recognise the excellent work undertaken by the PCS/MCA National
Joint Working Group (NJWG) concerning the introduction of new
technology and the revised arrangements for the management of
SAR Areas and co-ordination centres. Included in this work was
the establishment of operational partnerships between adjacent
rescue co-ordination centres where their command, control and
communications are linked via the new technology. This joint work
by MCA and PCS was the first step in paving the way for the modernisation
of the Coastguard's role from one of just search and rescue co-ordination
to one which also includes accident prevention and other safety
related work.
4.The success of the NJWG not only strengthened industrial
relations between PCS and MCA but enabled that phase of modernisation
to progress harmoniously and co-operatively. In order for the
issues highlighted by the Transport Select Committee to be successfully
addressed and the next phase of modernisation to be discussed
the NJWG will meet every 3 months alongside rejuvenated Regional
Joint Working Groups (RJWG) which will also meet every 3 months
but 2 weeks prior to the NJWG.
5.An effective NJWG in conjunction with a RJWG network
will provide the MCA and PCS with the opportunity to ensure that
operational partnerships develop appropriately and that staff
are given the necessary training and guidance to undertake the
accident prevention and safety related work to which the MCA
is committed.
6.The MCA and PCS are committed to try and work in
partnership in taking forward any future technological and structural
changes within the MCA as a whole. In addition, staff affected
will be consulted on a regular basis and their views taken into
account.
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