Thousands of environment agency workers from across the country took strike action over pay on Wednesday for the first time in the agency’s history.
Among them were hundreds of members from across the South East in Canterbury, Worthing and Romsey – among others.
Environment Agency salaries have fallen by more than 20% compared to inflation since 2010, which means staff are effectively working one day in every five for free.
To make matter worse, workers were only given a 2% pay rise (plus £345) for this financial year, but the previous year, the majority of staff had a pay freeze and received nothing at all.
River inspectors, flood forecasting officers, coastal risk management officers, sewage plant attendants and staff at the Thames Barrier are among those who walked out, escalating their industrial action after refusing to do voluntary overtime in the run up to the festive period.
Picket lines were very cold, but spirits were high all over the region, with strong support from the public over the action.
The historic day was well covered by the region’s media, featuring on BBC South East local TV and BBC county radio stations throughout the day. More coverage could be found here and here.
