Replacing staff with volunteers increases flood risk to homes says BW staff union

British Waterways is to shed 100 of its 1,700 staff as it moves to become a ‘Big Society’ charity and an increased danger of flooding comes from its plans to recruit more volunteers to replace professional and skilled workers well-versed in maintaining the canals and reservoirs say Unite, the BW staff union.

Julia Long, Unite's National Officer for Docks and Waterways, says that staff are seriously concerned about suggestions that the long-term unemployed will be forced into replacing current staff on just £1 an hour under the coalition’s 'Workfare UK' project.

She said, "Some British Waterways regional managers have already started advertising for volunteers to fill roles previously performed by employees, despite agreements that this would not happen.

"The real impact of bringing in an unskilled workforce is an increased risk of flooding to people’s homes and businesses. The reduction in spending has already meant the network operating a so-called ‘managed retreat’, prioritising work on the basis of urgency."

"The management already have mobile teams racing round the network patching up breaches and it’s frequently the case that by the time the teams hear about a breach and get there, it is too late.

"A total of 2,200 miles of canals and over 70 reservoirs are maintained by these skilled professionals. And it is likely that the New Waterways charity, which will take over from British Waterways in 2013, will be looking after the waterways currently maintained by the Environment Agency - with no additional resources."

The union says that British Waterways aims to freeze the pay of its staff and reduce the funding for essential maintenance to ‘recover’ some of the £10 million ‘lost’ by the funding axe wielded by the  Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The management is hoping that this pay freeze will save up to £3m – which Unite say nearly equates to the £3.5 million paid to the nine company executives in 2009/10.

Julia Long concuded, "This sits very uneasily with the cuts to the staff, which we believe will lead to the deterioration of the canals and reservoirs, and to what that means in terms of the increased risk of flooding to homes and businesses. 

"British Waterways should not be abolished and turned into a charity, employing volunteers on ‘no’ or minimum wages.  It should employ professional and well-paid staff to maintain Britain’s waterways. Our canals are one of this country’s great heritages and should be preserved for future generations – for the many and not just a few well-paid ‘fat cat’ directors.

Historic K&A Canal Pillbox listed 

A Second World War pillbox overlooking the Kennet & Avon Canal opposite Devizes Wharf will now be preserved thanks to a campaign by local blacksmith and historian John Girvan — and the voluntary efforts of students from New College, Swindon.

John Girvan by the second World War Pillbox beside the K&A Canal in Rotherstone, Devizes. Picture by Bob Naylor

John Girvan grew up in Rotherstone, Devizes and he has fond childhood memories of playing with his friends in the old pillbox next to the canal near his home. In recent years, though, the pillbox had become hidden by ivy and its important war-time role was at risk of being forgotten. In 2009 John set out to get the pillbox listed. He wrote to Elaine Pearce who was then the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport and he has now received a letter officially designating it as a Grade 2 Listed Building.

John said, "I am really pleased that it has been listed. I wasn't confident that it would be when I applied but this is an important part of our history and it would have been a great shame if it had been demolished as so many other pillboxes in the area have over the years."

   

The  structure was part of of the anti-tank line known as Stop Line Blue that included the Kennet & Avon Canal and pillboxes and 'dragon's teeth' anti-tank defences that were built in 1940 and early 1941 after the defeat at Dunkirk when Britain faced the threat of imminent invasion.  

Students from New College, Swindon at the pillbox beside the canal in Devizes. Picture by Bob Naylor

Getting the pillbox listed  is just the first stage in preserving the structure and John enlisted the help of Sarah Brice the British Waterways Regeneration Manager for the south of England who has organised volunteers to start to clear away the ivy and undergrowth from around it.

Last week a team of Health and Social Care students from New College Swindon working with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers  supervised by Tracy Mackeddie spent a day opening up the area around the pillbox.

NOTE: Pillboxes were built all over Britain during the war to defend against an anticipated German invasion. The website:  Pillboxesuk.co.uk estimates that although 28,000 were built across the country, fewer than 6,000 of them still remain.