BLAIR DINGWALL
Met Office staff in the north-east have taken part in the forecaster’s first ever pay strike in protest at an ongoing wage freeze.
Members of the Prospect union walked out for three hours from 2pm from offices including Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Exeter.
Union official Gordon Hutchinson said: “This is an unprecedented strike and shows how strongly people feel about a government pay policy completely at odds with what the prime minister advocates for the private sector.
“David Cameron says successful businesses should give their staff a pay rise, but won’t allow the Met Office the freedom to manage its own reward system.”
TV weather forecasters in the union did not take part in the strike.
A Met Office spokesman said: “We’re disappointed that some staff have chosen to take this action but we are confident our robust business continuity measures will reduce the impact of the action.
“We are pleased that Prospect is working with the Met Office to ensure that the threat of industrial action is mitigated for any service where safety of life is at risk – severe weather warnings for example.
We recognise the right of staff to take this action based on a legal mandate.”