Royal Navy’s Auxiliary Officers and Ratings Trade Ships for Picket Lines
The ongoing pay dispute between two of the UK’s leading unions and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary continues to escalate with Nautilus International highlighting the first strike in the history of its members. The union is staging a one-day strike on August 15 followed by a second one-day strike by compatriot union RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) tomorrow August 16.
The dispute has been dragging on for months since the government awarded the officers and crew of the RFA a 4.5 percent pay increase for 2023/2024. The unions demanded more citing the rate of inflation in the UK but made no headway with either the prior government or the new government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The new Armed Forces Minister in the Labour Government, Luke Pollard, promised a review but according to the unions, no new proposals have been put forth. The Minister confirmed that the RFA would be included in the broader Defense Review which was announced at the end of July. The Ministry however in the meantime has also demanded that the union members call off their actions against the RFA.
According to the press office of the RMT, there have “only been vague commitments to settling the dispute.” The RMT told members on August 1 to stand down and not to turn out for any duty on that day in the first-ever strike. Members were told to ensure the safety of the ship including moorings and gangways, but not to perform any tasks. The RMT is repeating the call tomorrow.
“Our members are fed up,” said Nautilus director of organizing Martyn Gray. “For too long, the RFA, the Royal Navy, and the Ministry of Defence have relied on the goodwill of our members to carry out essential operations…The key message from our members is simple. They are overworked, underpaid, and undervalued.”
The two unions aligned their efforts. Both say it is a long-term systemic problem that has not been addressed through a succession of governments. In real terms, they contend the latest 4.5 percent pay increase represents a pay cut of over 30 percent since 2010.
Today, Nautilus members were reported to be stopping work on vessels in the Far East, the Mediterranean, and those in and around the UK. Picket lines were set up near the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead as well as in Portsmouth and Portland.
The current 24-hour stoppages are a further escalation of the efforts that began earlier in the year with what is known in the UK as “action short of a strike.” This is things such as refusing overtime or non-regular shift work. The unions emphasize that ships and personnel are never being put in danger by their actions.
Nautilus officials said they moved to the strike because the UK government still has not yet presented a pathway forward. They plan to continue the work slowdowns and will consider additional strikes if the Ministry of Defence does not respond with a meaningful offer for members of the two unions.
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