04 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | July 2017
NAUTILUS AT WORK
shortreports CEMEX CLAIM: a meeting between Nautilus national organiser Jonathan Havard and representatives from Cemex took place in Southampton on 26 May following members’ rejection of a 1.6% pay offer. During the meeting the company said it could not increase its offer. However, it added, management have — subject to conditions — agreed to the introduction of higher certificate pay for seafarers holding CoCs above the rank in which they are sailing. Mr Havard said he is likely to accept the offer unless members can provide any compelling counter-arguments. STENA REJECTION: Nautilus International’s counter-proposal to a pay offer made to members employed by Stena Line and serving across all its routes has been rejected by Northern Marine Manning Services. National ferry organiser Micky Smyth had suggested a one-year pay deal of over 2%, as per October 2016’s RPI inflation rate after members rejected proposals for a twoyear, front-loaded 3% increase. A further meeting was due to take place on 27 June. HAL VISITS: four ship visits to meet members employed by Marine Manpower Services and HAL Beheer BV on Holland America Line (HAL) vessels have been arranged for July. National secretary Jonathan Havard, along with Dutch colleagues Maarten Keuss and Hans Walthie, will visit the ships in the port of Bergen in Norway over a four-day period. They will visit Rotterdam on 17 July, Prinsendam and Zuiderdam on 18 July and Koningsdam on 20 July. CARNIVAL MEETING: a Partnership at Work (PAW) meeting took place on 14 June for members employed by Carnival UK. Items discussed during the meeting included the drug and alcohol policy, utilisation and sick pay. National organiser Jonathan Havard also visited the Csmart Centre in Almere, the Netherlands, last month and met medical experts at the facility. PRIDE INVITE: Nautilus is inviting members to join the Union at the London LGBT+ Pride parade in the capital on 8 July. It will be the second time the Union has been present at the event and anyone interested in attending should contact strategic organiser Danny McGowan by 5 July. GARDLINE DEAL: a memorandum of understanding has been signed by Nautilus and the marine science company Gardline. The terms of the agreement will be circulated to members shortly and volunteers will be sought for the Partnership at Work (PAW) committee. ORKNEY OFFER: members employed by Orkney Ferries have been offered a 1.5% pay increase, backdated to 1 April 2017. A review of salaries is also ongoing and members are currently being consulted on the offer, which closes on 3 July.
Ship visits discuss progress in NERC pay talks organiser Jonathan Havard (second F left) with members employed by Natural Pictured above is Nautilus national
Environment Research Council (NERC) onboard the RRS Discovery whilst the vessel was berthed outside the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton on 4 June. Following the visit to Discovery, Mr Havard — together with representatives from the RMT union — also visited the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) vessel RRS Ernest Shackleton on 13 June in Harwich. During his visits, he spoke to members from
both parts of NERC — NOCS-NMFSS and BAS — about the ongoing 2015 and 2016 pay and conditions claims. Mr Havard explained —for the 2015 award — that all staff in post between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2016 who were due to receive a progression step increase have already received it. He added that a 1% consolidated award for all eligible marine staff whose salary as of 1 July 2015 was below the maximum of their payscale and who have not received an increase during the same period will be awarded backdated pay to 1 July 2015.
Mr Havard explained that unless good arguments were provided, he would accept this offer on the members’ behalf, but added that consultations will also begin shortly on a 2016 pay offer. ‘I believe we can achieve no further in respect of the 2015 pay award,’ he commented. ‘However, we’ve had much discussion with the employers’ representatives with regards to the 2016 award. ‘Some significant improvements have been achieved through negotiations, but it will be for members to decide, in due course, if the offer is acceptable to them.’
Dads ‘missing out’ on paternity leave TUC calls for new and improved pay and leave rights for working fathers
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One in four British men who became parents in 2016 didn’t qualify for paternity leave or pay, according to a new TUC analysis published on Fathers’ Day last month. The report revealed that there were around 625,000 working dads around the UK with a child under one last year. However, a quarter of them — more than 157,000 new fathers — did not qualify for the up to two weeks’ statutory paternity leave and statutory paternity pay. The main reason was that they were self-employed — this affected nearly 113,000 working
fathers. Unlike self-employed mums, who are eligible for a maternity allowance, dads who work for themselves don’t get a similar paternity allowance. And another 44,000 dads didn’t get paid paternity leave or pay because they hadn’t been working for their employer for long enough. The law requires employees to have at least six months’ service with their current employer by the 15th week before the baby is due to qualify for paternity leave. The TUC is concerned that so many dads are missing out on the chance to spend valuable time
at home with their partners and babies because they cannot afford to. Many low-paid fathers struggle to take the time off because statutory paternity pay is just £140.98 a week. This is less than half what someone earning the minimum wage would earn in a 40-hour week (£300). TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady commented: ‘It’s really important for dads to be able to spend time at home with their families when they have a new baby. ‘But too many fathers are missing out because they don’t qualify
— or because they can’t afford to use their leave. ‘We’d like to see all dads being given a right to longer, betterpaid leave when a child is born. And for this to be a day one right,’ she added. ‘When parents share caring responsibilities it helps strengthen relationships — and makes it easier for mothers to continue their careers.’ The TUC is urging the government to increase statutory paternity pay to at least minimum wage levels and to introduce a paternity allowance for fathers who are not eligible for statutory paternity pay.
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Pictured above is Nautilus national organiser Jonathan Havard with members of the Trinity House starboard watch onboard THV Galatea in Swansea on 1 June. During the visit, Mr Havard heard members’ views about the contents of the forthcoming pay and conditions claim
in a bid to boost cooperation within the industry to address an increasingly wide gap between supply and demand forecast over the next 10 to 15 years. The seminar, on 10 July, is being hosted by the Nautilus JW Slater Fund and the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) and will be held at the UK Chamber of Shipping in London. The event is being held to mark the 40th anniversary of the Slater Fund — which was established in honour of one of the Union’s former general secretaries, and which has helped more than 430 seafarers to gain officer certification since its launch.
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