MCA Chief Faces Resignation Calls Over False Pay Data
Virginia McVea faces calls to resign after using unverified survey data to support a plan to strip coastguard rescue officers of their pay.
Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Virginia McVea is facing calls to resign after using unverified data to support a plan to strip coastguard rescue officers of their pay. The proposal sought to reclassify the workers as volunteers following a court ruling that entitled them to holiday pay and the minimum wage.
McVea claimed an official survey indicated that over 90% of officers supported the volunteer model. However, an investigation by the Office for Statistics Regulation found that the cited surveys did not ask officers about their support for the proposal and provided no evidence for the claims.
The GMB union and several members of parliament have accused McVea of deliberately misleading the public and parliament. Maritime Minister Keir Mather scrapped the plan following widespread criticism, although a replacement system for the remuneration of rescue officers has not yet been finalized.
