RNLI strikers to protest at headquarters

2 hours ago

Stuart RustSouth of England

News image — Unite members previously took strike action at the Inshore Lifeboat Centre in East Cowes over the planned closure of the site

Lukas Antczak Three protesters stand outside a large metal gate. In the centre, a woman with blonde hair and sunglasses is wearing a bright yellow "Unite" armband. To her left, a bearded man is wearing a black polo shirt with "Lifeboats" printed on one side of the chest and a green baseball cap. To the right, a man in a checkered shirt donning sunglasses and a cowboy hat is holding a sign to the camera; it reads: "If RNLI care why not pay fair?" — Unite members previously took strike action at the Inshore Lifeboat Centre in East Cowes over the planned closure of the site

Striking RNLI workers are to demonstrate outside the charity's headquarters in a dispute over job losses and redundancy terms.

Unite members from the Inshore Lifeboat Centre (ILC) in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, are due to gather at the charity's Poole headquarters on Tuesday.

Up to 70 jobs are at risk after the RNLI said it would move production of its inshore lifeboats from East Cowes to Poole by the end of 2027, with the union accusing management of refusing to negotiate fair redundancy terms.

The RNLI said it had offered an enhanced redundancy package above the statutory minimum, along with relocation and career support.

Lukas Antczak A picture taken on a jetty shows three orange RNLI lifeboats docked side by side. Beyond the boats, a large white building bears a sign with the word "Lifeboats" underneath a St George's Cross flag. Several cars can be seen parked in a car park at the front of the building. — The Inshore Lifeboat Centre has a team of up to 70 workers and spans three buildings in East Cowes

Unite said forensic accountancy it had commissioned showed the RNLI recorded an income of £286.7m and free reserves of £149.8m in the year to December 2025 - a five-year high - and that keeping the ILC running would cost £5m.

It has asked the Central Arbitration Committee to compel the charity to disclose how much the closure would save compared with the cost of redundancies.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "The RNLI is choosing profits over retaining its skilled workforce. Its behaviour has been nothing short of disgraceful."

In a statement, the RNLI said: "Unite's statements continue to inaccurately reflect the extensive engagement that we have undertaken and fail to publicly recognise the information we have shared with them, along with the sincere efforts that have been made to support our colleagues."

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The charity said the decision to consolidate manufacturing at one site was driven by a fall in demand for all-weather lifeboats, expected to reduce by a third.

It also said the ILC would require more than £5m of investment to remain compliant with building and testing regulations.

"As a charity we must ensure we are using our donor's money wisely, and in the most effective way, so we remain financially sustainable for generations to come," it said.

Further strikes have already taken place this month, and workers previously joined a picket line at the East Cowes site, where local councillor Karl Love described the closure as a "devastating event" for the island.