Met Office staff in Exeter on strike over pay dispute

Met Office staff in Exeter are striking over pay and conditions

Workers at the Met Office's Exeter headquarters are striking in a dispute with the government over pay and conditions.

The Prospect union said the government had "shown contempt" to Met Office staff for failing to give them a pay rise since April 2020.

The one-day strike on Wednesday is the second strike at the service this year, with a third scheduled for 7 June.

The BBC has contacted the government for comment.

Prospect said the government had still not allowed the Met Office to start pay negotiations for 2022-23, adding inflation was "eroding living standards".

Met Office staff walked out over the same issues on 15 March.

'Vital service'

Harry Mooney, the Met Office's Prospect branch chair, said the pay restraint was leading to "recruitment and retention issues".

"The government has shown contempt to Met Office staff, by failing to reward them for what they do," he said.

Mike Clancy, the union's general secretary, said Met Office staff provided a "vital service to the country".

"They are being singled out by a government intent on leaving its own workers at the back of the pay queue," he added.

The Met Office said it would not be able to maintain a full range of services during strike action so it would prioritise those which were critical to safety of life.

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