SCOTTISH lighthouse workers have received a pay rise that will see their wages surge.
Around 40 Unite members, composed of maintenance staff, sailors, cooks and base assistants, accepted a wage offer from the public body by 100% on a 98% turnout.
The deal will see industrial relations between the workers and the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) calm, with two 24-hour strikes over this summer halting work.
Applied to 2023/24, the pay offer will see sliding scale wage increases with the lowest paid benefiting from the highest increases.
The wage deal inclusive of marine and onshore staff ranges up to 15 per cent for the lowest paid, with marine based workers receiving a minimum uplift of £2285.
There are a number of improvements to the wage deal including extra holiday entitlement and a consolidated overtime allowance which is being increased to 20 per cent of salaries.
A further proposal to change the working week from 42 hours to 37 hours will also mean that overtime rates will apply after the lower hourly threshold.
The workers maintain and operate Scotland’s lighthouses, beacons and buoys at sea ensuring that vessels and ships have safe passage through Scottish waters.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s NLB members have emphatically backed a new pay deal negotiated by their union. It will see a number of improvements to pay and also working conditions for our members such as an increase in overtime allowances.
“Unite will continue to go the extra mile in support of our members’ jobs, pay and conditions.”
Scotland's last staffed lighthouse, on Fair Isle, closed in 1998, with NLB staff now responsible for maintaining a fleet of 208 automated lighthouses.
The NLB’s mainland operations are based at its Edinburgh HQ, and in Oban where there are maintenance workshops and facilities for the construction of beacons and buoys.
NLB technicians are also based in Inverness, Shetland and Orkney. The NLB has two vessels based in Oban: NLV Pharos and NLV Pole Star.
Unite industrial officer Alison MacLean said: “The NLB workers provide a vital public service which helps keep mariners safe on their travels. The wage deal secured by Unite is a recognition of that invaluable work and it will make a difference amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.”
The NLB maintains 208 lighthouses across Scotland and the Isle of Man.
