Standing Between a Rock and a Hard Place:
The Fight to Save HM Coastguard
Every single day, across 19,000 miles of complex UK coastline, Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) answer the shout. We leave our families, our beds, and our primary jobs to descend cliff faces, brave rising floodwaters, and track missing and vulnerable persons in all weathers, at all times. We are not casual, fair-weather hobbyists. We are highly trained, safety-critical emergency responders. As a Category 1 emergency service, we work alongside the Police, Fire, and Ambulance services. Yet, while every other blue-light service remains funded, HM Coastguard is uniquely being degraded.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?
Whether you like it or not, the new proposals will affect every CRO in the United Kingdom. People cannot afford to do skilled work (especially the intensive training, the administration, and all the other core roles needed to keep the service going) without remuneration. No one does this for the money, but the money is what enables us to do it. If people are unable to attend call outs, or training, or help support the functioning of the service. Or if they leave the service altogether. It will have a huge impact on every single one of us. Our roles as CROs will change.
Our service will struggle. And the communities that we serve, and we live in, will be less safe.
WHAT ARE WE CAMPAIGNING FOR?
What this campaign is about is asking for a PAUSE. For further scrutiny of the proposals. To allow for further risk assessments. To explore other options and for CROs to be properly consulted in the process. We are campaigning for MCA to listen, to engage with GMB who is representing us, and to find a future model for the Coastguard Rescue Service (CRS) that works for everyone.
The Landmark Ruling Groom v MCA
In a landmark legal battle supported by the GMB Union ( Maritime and Coastguard Agency v Martin Groom [2026] EWCA Civ 6) the Court of Appeal ruled decisively in favor of CROs. The court established that because CROs are entitled to hourly remuneration for their time and are required to follow strict instructions on duty, they hold the legal status of “workers” during those periods. This ruling granted CROs fundamental statutory protections, including the right to union representation, protection of pay, and holiday entitlements.
The MCA’s Response
On June 1st, 2026, instead of working alongside staff to implement these recognised rights, the MCA informed CROs of a drastic shift: the implementation of a brand-new, fully volunteer-only model to take effect in September 2026. This proposed model strips away the worker status confirmed by the courts and threatens a mass exodus of highly skilled, locally knowledgeable rescue officers who simply cannot afford to give up hours of their week for zero compensation
The Birth of a Historic Campaign
We refused to stay silent. On June 2nd, 2026, we launched a rapid, grassroots campaign to organise CROs across the UK. What followed was nothing short of historic. Within just one single week, a critical mass of the nationwide workforce signed up to join the GMB Union. Recognising the sheer urgency of the threat to our service, the GMB National Congress passed an unprecedented emergency motion to fully back us.
You can view the motion here.
Can you afford to look the other way?
Whether you wear the uniform or visit our beaches, this dispute affects you. The clock is ticking.
OVER 100,000 VOICES IN ONLY 30 DAYS
sign the petition today
In just one single month, over 100,000 of you have stood up to say no to the MCA's decision and demand that the Government halts the MCA’s transition to a volunteer-only model and force a formal review of coastal safety implications. This secured the signatures needed to force a debate in Parliament. But our fight to stop the erosion of the UK’s only Category 1 emergency service is far from over. Now, we need you to keep pushing. Sign the petition today, share it with everyone you know, and help us ensure our highly trained rescue officers can continue to answer the call before it is too late. Let's get this over 200,000!
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STAY UP TO DATE
This campaign is moving fast, and we are fighting back along the coast, in the press, and in Parliament. Stay up to date with the campaign progress with weekly updates on our Facebook page.
Use and Share Our Hashtags:
#SaveOurService
#SUPPORT-FOR-CROS
#ANSWERTHESHOUT
#CCBG
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