The Seafarer Issue 9

Seafarer Fair Pay for RFA the

eMagazine for maritime members of RMT

Issue 9 – June/July 2019

In this issue ...

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Daily routine for an ITF Inspector

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The campaign for Fair Pay for RFA seafarers has really kicked in. Following months of stalemate, RMT members returned an overwhelming mandate for industrial action in the fight for a fair pay award after years of attacks on wages and job security. Nearly 88% of voting members called for industrial action, with turnout satisfying the anti-trade union threshold imposed by the Cameron Government. A campaign of industrial action will begin from early July.

Seafarer pay rip-off

9 Fght for workplace justice victory

10 Low pay – No way!

12 ProSafe ‘Race to Bottom’

19 Women’s Conference

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We have given the employer plenty of opportunities to negotiate a fair settlement for Ratings, with the General Secretary Mick Cash leading a delegation including the National Secretary Darren Procter and RFA Convenor John Doherty in January to see the Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood MP over the effect of years of austerity on morale, pay and recruitment and retention in the RFA. Yet the Tory Defence Minister could only plead poverty and blame the Treasury.

To add to our collective frustration, the pay cap in the Armed Forces, including the Royal Navy, was then broken with a 2.9% pay increase for 2018-19. We do not resent fair pay in the Royal Navy enough is but demand enough – we a fair pay need Fair Pay increase for for RFA now.

RFA Ratings who put Plymouth their lives on Devonport the line for MP Luke this country.

Pollard, a The union’s pay member of the IT I submission for RMT L AI 2019-20, agreed with N’S Parliamentary group, FE NAV Y L I our RFA members will has tabled Early Day reflect that.

Motion 2365 in support of The General Secretary, with the the union’s RFA campaign. This has support of the National Secretary and the received the cross-party support that will RFA Convenor has met RFA members be important in the next stage of the across the country and we have door campaign as we look to stage industrial stepped MPs in key RFA constituencies action. from Faslane to Plymouth in order to get Commenting on the campaign, our members’ message across that General Secretary Mick Cash said: “It is

Early Day Motion 2365 That this House recognises the strategic significance to the UK of the near 2000 merchant seafarers employed on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) who re-fuel, re-arm and re-supply Royal Navy ships wherever they are in the world; notes that successive freezes, cuts and restraint since 2008-09 have seriously undermined pay for civilian Ratings and Officers in the RFA; further notes that significant cuts have been made to pension and redundancy rights for RFA seafarers in the same period; is concerned that these policies are now affecting morale, as well as recruitment and retention of merchant seafarers in the RFA; welcomes a total of 2.9 per cent increase in Royal Navy pay in 2018-19; notes the below inflation of 1.5 per cent settlement imposed on RFA’s merchant seafarers for the same year; supports the RMT trade union’s campaign for fair pay for RFA seafarers; pays tribute to the memory of the seventeen merchant Navy seafarers who died on the Atlantic Conveyor and the RFA ships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram during the Falklands conflict in 1982; and calls on the Government to take immediate steps to improve industrial relations in the RFA by agreeing to a meaningful increase in pay for RFA’s civilian seafarers 201920. https://edm.parliament.uk/earlyday-motion/52894/fair-pay-for-theroyal-fleet-auxiliarys-merchantseafarers

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disgraceful that our Royal Fleet Auxiliary members who maintain the Royal Navy fleet’s strategic capability, have had another real-terms pay cut imposed by this appalling Government.

“RMT will not stand by while RFA staff are undervalued and undermined. The union has stepped up the ‘Fair Pay for RFA’ campaign and while we remain

available for meaningful talks with the Government, we are preparing now to stage industrial and other actions to further our RFA members’ demands for fair pay. I applaud the commitment and support RFA members have shown for their campaign to date and urge all RFA Ratings to help keep up the fight for fair pay!”

Get your MP to sign the EDM by going to the RMT campaign page: www.rmt.org.uk/ campaigns/maritime/ fair-pay-for-rfa/

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MP’s backing RFA campaign

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Mary Glindon, Labour

Kelvin Hopkins, Labour

Ian Mearns, Labour

David Drew, Labour

Grahame Morris, Labour

Laura Smith, Labour

Karl Turner, Labour

Danielle Rowley, Labour

Paul Sweeney, Labour

Chris Stephens, SNP

Andy McDonald, Labour

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Editorial Welcome to this latest edition of RMT’s Seafarer magazine which gives you a snapshot of RMT’s extensive work across the maritime sector.

We have a major focus on pay in this issue. Our brothers and sisters at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary have balloted strongly for action in a fight for justice from the Government and I know that the entire union will stand shoulder to shoulder with this group of RMT members as they step up their fight.

Since the last issue of the Seafarer we have learnt that failing Tory Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has cancelled Brexit Ferries contracts with Brittany Ferries and DFDS at a cost of up to £56.6million according to the National Audit office.

It is breath taking that the Brexit ferry chaos on Chris Grayling’s watch has moved from farce to national scandal with the taxpayer picking up the bill. If he had listened to the representations from RMT none of this would have happened.

The £56 million wasted could have been used to create proper jobs for British seafarers and pay the Royal Fleet Auxiliary workforce a decent wage.

The truth is that Grayling has reduced the shipping industry in this island nation to a global laughing stock.

Anyone with a shred of decency would have resigned

long ago off the back of his catalogue of failures but he remains in post.

Meanwhile, RMT’s campaigning for a just settlement for workers in the maritime sector in the wake of Brexit goes on – a golden opportunity has been presented to break from the exploitation of foreign nationals that has shamed the industry for so long and we will push the case for that opportunity to be grabbed with both hands.

With a general election looking increasingly likely before this year is out it is important that we map out our demands for the shipping industry the future. To this end, RMT spends a lot of time meeting and lobbying politicians as we use every avenue to argue our case and push our issues up the agenda. No one works harder in that respect than our shipping branches, our reps and our officials. I want to pay tribute to their work.

And we are winning. The extension of the minimum wage regulations to maritime workers in the UK offshore energy sector from this autumn is a huge victory and has only been achieved by RMT campaigning and campaigning hard. But there is much more to do.

The spearhead is RMT’s SOS2020 campaign and there will be no let-up in activities under that banner as a change of Government looks increasingly likely. Every single member has a role to play in that work. No one knows better than you just what a battering maritime jobs and working conditions have taken under successive governments.

Now is our time to turn that tide.

Mick Cash, General Secretary RMT

Herald Memorial Service On Wednesday 6th March, Darren Procter represented the RMT at the 32nd annual memorial service for 193 passengers and crew who lost their lives on that fateful night. The Service, which was held at St Mary’s Church in Dover, was followed after at the seafront where flowers were laid at the rose garden. Darren said “we must never forget those who lost their lives on that night back in 1987 and we as a union continue to this day to fight to ensure that all Seafarers return home safely”.

RMT’s The Seafarer is compiled by National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers, Unity House, 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD. Tel 020 7387 4771.

The information contained in this publication is believed to be correct but cannot be guaranteed.

All rights reserved. General editor Geoff Martin.

No part of this journal can be reproduced without prior written approval of RMT. No liability is accepted for any errors or omissions.

Copyright RMT 2019.

Members are invited to contribute to future journals with any news, regular articles or pictures which are relevant and will be of interest to our membership.

Please email the Editor at Unity House, 39 Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD or email: theseafarer@rmt.org.uk

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Daily routine for an ITF Inspector The RMT currently has one International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) inspector seconded to the ITF to undertake inspections as part of the flags of convenience campaign. Kiam Wilson of North East Shipping is responsible for visiting ships in Scotland and explains his daily routine‌ The first thin an ITF inspector has to determine is which vessel to visit, if a complaint has not been received by a seafarer or a third party about a vessel coming into my area then I will start by checking the ITF data base (CRM) of maritime information, that includes everything from the current ownership details of a vessel, ITF Affiliate Unions details that are associated with a particular vessel, and even the employment conditions for seafarers onboard that vessel, including a history of findings during previous ITF inspections, Flag and company ownership history, A Call to ITF House in London for support or with any additional information that may be required such as supporting documentation, agreement renewal data or complaints.

Once inside your port of choice and following the various protocols and procedures each port requires you to follow, you arrive at the ship and this is the start of your assessment of the status of this vessel, Starting with the appearance and maintenance to the external parts of the vessel, the general attitude towards safety of any crew working on the deck, and the appearance and of seafarers are all good indicators to the inspection ahead.

Then when boarding the gangway the first person you will encounter is normally an AB or OS deck ratings on the Gangway Watch this is where I can

normally collect quite a lot of information through asking various questions and you will get a feel of the situation on-board a vessel, with the security book filled in you will be escorted to the master.

The ITF inspection will cover documentation ranging from the registry of the vessel, to the safe manning documentation, rest hours, overtime hours worked , and wages paid documentation, then a look around the mess rooms and stores areas and cabins if any concerns exist, until you are happy everything is as it should be for all crew on-board.

Unfortunately, more often than not things are not as they should be and you have to be prepared for the moments when a contract might of expired, or the hours worked is not the same as what the seafarers have been paid for, or there is insufficient food on-board, the wages for the previous month have not been paid, this is when the ITF inspector has to act using all resources at our disposal.

Over the past couple of years we have identified a number of cases whereby seafarers have not been paid for months on end, we have identified seafarers onboard working beyond their contracted period and assisted in having them repatriated. We have boarded vessels whereby the food provisions have not

been acceptable and we have acted to ensure that every seafarer on-board a vessel that enters the UK is paid correctly, that they have enough food and water onboard and that they are being treated with dignity and respect in the workplace.

If a vessel is not as it should be then as an ITF inspector I have to do everything in power to ensure that the vessel does not leave port until such time as all issues have been rectified by working with the various UK authorities, Flag states and worldwide trade unions to ensure rectification is prompt.

The role of an ITF Inspector can be gratifying because we can make an instant difference to a seafarer, who may not of been paid correctly, who maybe 3-4 months over contractual period or have been the subject to bullying. Once we arrive on-board the seafarers place all their faith in us to assist them and once rectified they are very happy which in turn is satisfying for me.

Gordon Martin, Regional Organiser, Scotland

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RMT slams latest seafarer pay rip-off

In June the Union raised the alarm over the billion pound bonanzas for offshore wind farm owners when seafarers in the supply chain are being discriminated against and paid below the National Minimum Wage.

RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash said: “Huge dividends are being paid out and hundreds of millions in bond funds are being raised off the hard work of employees in the offshore wind farm sector.

“At the same time, my members are being excluded from work on a

range of vessels where basic pay rates can be as low as £3.60 per hour for a twelve hour day. “ Investment in the sector is welcome but this blatant inequality cannot continue – our seafarers are the key to our future economic health and the employment standards that

apply to workers on land should apply to UK Ratings and Officers, including those in the offshore wind supply chain.

“I will be raising these issues with ministers at a meeting in Parliament next week.”

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RMT slams Government waiver that will allow firms to exploit cheap foreign labour in the UK maritime energy sector Earlier in April, RMT attacked the Government’s decision to grant another waiver from immigration rules for offshore wind companies to import nonEEA seafarers to work on vessels that construct and maintain offshore wind farms on the UK Continental Shelf.

General Secretary, Mick Cash said: “The betrayal of UK seafarers and exploitation of foreign seafarers continues under this failing Government. This immigration waiver has now been in place since October 2016, in which time hundreds more offshore wind turbines have been connected to the grid using exploited crews.

“The construction and installation of wind farms are where most jobs are created yet the Home Office have decided to issue another waiver, the fourth by our count, to allow wind energy companies to profit from importing cheap labour to build and maintain wind farms in UK waters for

another year. Last month’s ‘Offshore Wind Sector Deal’ committed the Government to increase the ‘UK content’ of offshore wind projects yet this waiver actively excludes UK seafarers from jobs in the growing offshore wind supply chain, just ahead of the next round of energy pricing for new offshore wind farm projects. “ The further delay in extending the National Minimum Wage Act to provide some protection for seafarer pay in the offshore energy supply chain is also exposed by this scandalous contempt for British Ratings’ jobs. What we should be seeing is standardization of employment practices in the offshore wind industry and the supply chain to stamp out seafarer exploitation. It is totally unacceptable for this sustainable energy source to be developed on the backs of exploited workers who lack basic employment rights or protections.”

(Source: ITF Inspections and individual contracts of employment 2018-19)

Operator

Vessel & Route

Basic pay

Flag of vessel

Seacosco Great Yarmouth-UKCS (Offshore Wind) Edda Passat

Seacosco Yangtze (Able Seafarer)

$2.34 p.h.

Marshall Islands

Rating Nationality Filipino

Ostenso Rederei, Grimsby-Race Bank Wind Farm Pioneering Spirit Thialf GMS Evolution 6104, Blyth-UKCS (offshore wind)

£3.60 p.h.

(Steward) £3.75 p.h. $45 per day $2.44 p.h.

(Able Seafarer)

UK

Polish

Malta Panama Panama

Non-EEA Filipino Filipino

AllSeas Heerema Gulf Marine Services

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SAVE OUR SEAFARERS SOS 2020

M1 SOS2020 Meeting

Mick Tosh pictured with Dale Kember and Carl Holman of Dover Shipping Branch, Kevin Jewell of Southampton shipping branch and National Secretary Darren Procter.

As part of the SOS 2020 campaign each of the the Maritime Regions are seeking to hold regular meetings with activists in their respective Regions to set out targets and campaign events to raise profile of RMT within the maritime industry at the same time as organising, consolidating and increasing membership amongst workers.

The first meeting of Maritime Region 1 took place at Wessex Office on 12 April.

We decided initially to establish that regular meetings should take place which set out a programme of how activists in the Region are organised to maximise and support branches with organisation in recruitment, retention and branch activity.

We decided communications would be key to these improvements and we have agreed to establish contact group utilising all media.

A further meeting has been scheduled to take place in London.

Mick Tosh Regional Organiser

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SAVE OUR SEAFARERS SOS 2020

Major victory in fight for maritime pay chalked up In June the Union chalked up a significant victory in our fight for workplace justice in the maritime and offshore sector with the Government’s announcement that legislation will be introduced in September to extend the National Minimum Wage Act to cover seafarers working between UK ports and in the offshore energy supply chain.

RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash said: “This is a major and welcome victory for RMT’s long-running

campaign for pay and workplace justice in the maritime sector and I pay tribute to both the RMT members and our supporters who have fought

Our SOS 2020 campaign for an end to nationality based pay discrimination and any other form of seafarer exploitation continues.

long and hard to secure this breakthrough.

“This is a long overdue reform and we’re grateful to Alex Cunningham MP for putting the BEIS Minister, Kelly Tolhurst, on the spot this morning.

“By the end of the year, seafarers working on ships between UK ports or servicing offshore oil and gas or wind installations, regardless of the flag of the vessel, will be protected by the National Minimum Wage. This will extend the basic protections from pay exploitation that have been applied and enforced for land based workers for 20 years. This increased protection for thousands of seafarers is welcome and the RMT’s ongoing campaign to eradicate nationality pay discrimination and all forms of seafarer exploitation goes on.”

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SAVE OUR SEAFARERS SOS 2020

Low Pay No Way Fighting seafarer exploitation in the shipping industry The union has scored a victory in the fight to apply and enforce the National Minimum Wage for seafarers.

In June, under questioning from the union and Parliamentary Group MPs Alex Cunningham and Karl Turner, the Government announced that legislation would be introduced in the autumn to extend the NMW to cover seafarers on domestic shipping routes, including in the offshore energy sector.

That long overdue legal change will be a big step in the right direction, and the campaign to end all discrimination and exploitation of seafarers on international

Inch Cape wind farm, Scotland

routes from UK ports has also been given a major boost.

Cleaning up the shipping industry’s environmental record is a major topic at the moment. For RMT the priority remains cleaning up shipping’s shameful employment record which continues to rely on discrimination against foreign seafarers to cut labour costs and maximise profits, which in P&O Ferries case, currently stand at over £40m.

Faced with the reality of social dumping on P&O Ferries, the Minimum Wage Minister, Kelly Tolhurst MP agreed with Hull East MP Karl Turner that P&O paying seafarers as little as €2.04 per hour was ‘unacceptable.’ Karl is meeting the Minister to put across RMT’s demands for measures to stop the shipping industry from exploiting foreign seafarers and undermining the National Minimum Wage on international routes from UK ports.

RMT’s SOS2020 demands equality in employment, equality and immigration law between land-based workers and seafarers. This would repair the damage that unregulated employment practices in the shipping industry have done to employment and training levels for UK Ratings over recent decades.

But we are under no illusion that we face shipowners and crewing agencies that present their backward low-cost crewing practices as some form of wealth re-distribution to the world’s poorest.

RMT see clearly that this sort of exploitation is nothing short of modern slavery and must be stopped. We are taking action against any employer prepared to exploit foreign Ratings, wherever it is happening on ferries, cargo

Our SOS 2020 campaign demands equality in employment, equality and immigration law between land-based workers and seafarers. ships, the cruise sector or in the supply chain of the offshore energy sector.

For example, the union has called out low pay on geographic survey vessels servicing the Inch Cape offshore wind farm off the north east coast of Scotland, where Filipino ABs were paid a day rate worth $5.41 per hour. This scandalous exploitation has had its day – RMT is coming for those shipping companies who sacrifice seafarers’ rights in pursuit of a fast buck at our members’ expense.

As the General Secretary, Mick Cash commented: “We have made progress but the fight against industrial scale exploitation of foreign Ratings goes on. Together, we must win it for the sake of the Ratings of today and the future and I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with RMT seafarers as we take our fight to the employers and the Government.”

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SAVE OUR SEAFARERS SOS 2020

Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Questions in Parliament – Tuesday 11th June sessions, we have also doubled our enforcement on the National Minimum Wage and are determined to make sure we are tackling all areas where people are not upholding the spirit of UK employment law.

Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East) (Lab)

Alex Cunningham MP, Labour

Karl Turner, MP, Labour

Alex Cunningham (Stockton North) (Lab)

them beyond the UK’s formal jurisdiction.

What steps are being taken to tackle rates of pay in the offshore wind supply chain that are below the national living wage?

Alex Cunningham

Kelly Tolhurst (The Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) In the autumn the Government will introduce legislation to extend the right to receive the National Minimum Wage to seafarers operating in UK territorial seas. Any business, British or otherwise, benefiting from consumer subsidies and the growth of UK offshore wind has a clear moral responsibility to abide by the spirit of UK employment law, even where operations take

I think that is the most helpful answer I have had in this place since I got elected nine years ago so I am grateful to the Minister for that, but why do we have to wait until the autumn when she could introduce secondary legislation now and close this loophole now?

Kelly Tolhurst I thank the Hon. Gentleman for his supplementary question. This is a complicated process; I have been working with my counterparts in the Department for Transport and we are committed to delivering this legislation in the autumn. As I mentioned at previous questions

It is disgraceful that P&O Ferries is employing Lithuanian cooks sailing from Hull to Zeebrugge on the “Pride of York” at €2.04 an hour. Filipino able-bodied seafarers crewing the “Pride of Hull” are paid $4.45 an hour. Will the Minister meet me to see what we can do together to stop these predatory capitalist companies taking advantage of foreign crews? This amounts to slave labour.

Kelly Tolhurst I thank the Hon. Gentleman for raising this point, and he is absolutely right: this is unacceptable, and I am more than happy to meet him to discuss it. But I just want to reiterate that the law is clear that any individual undertaking work in the UK is entitled to receive the National Minimum Wage; this includes workers in different sectors, which is why we are taking this action, and we will be laying legislation in the autumn.

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Prosafe racing to the bottom!

Prosafe are one of the biggest floating accommodation vessel operators in the world and one of the most successful.

This year, as an example, they have cornered the entire UK offshore oil and gas market by securing contracts for four of their vessels. The crew make-up of these vessels is very similar to that of traditional maritime vessels from the AB’s through Motorman, Bosun, Deck officers and so on. However, for UK workers and RMT members the securing of contracts brings no cheer!

Prosafe offered all of their long serving loyal staff the opportunity to take an enhanced voluntary redundancy package when the vessels were sitting idle at the end of last year. Now that they have

secured work, they have given the crewing function to the manning agency OSM, who in turn are advertising the jobs in Poland and Croatia at rates which are up to 40% less than those previously paid by Prosafe.

RMT, along with our Offshore Coordinating Group colleagues (Unite, GMB, Nautilus and Balpa) have joined with our sister union in Norway, Industri Energi in condemning the actions of Prosafe as a “race to the bottom” for offshore energy workers.

To make things worse for our UK rating members; the Oil & Gas representative body OGUK has defended the actions of Prosafe after our officials complained to the oil companies about

leasing a company behaving in this way.

OGUK have claimed that workers are being paid at the International Transport Federation (ITF) rates or above. In effect OGUK are using ITF to drive down rates.

This subject was raised by RMT at a recent ITF European Offshore Task Force meeting in Oslo and it will feature again at the global Task Force meeting in London in June.

As we see it, we must work with our EU colleagues and ITF affiliates to address this situation and avoid the scenario which sees our efforts to protect seafarers from poor regions around the world being used to undermine long established conditions of RMT members, UK and EU workers.

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New Branch Secretary for Liverpool Shipping

Warm greetings comrades.

For those who don’t know me, I am delighted to have this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you all about my background.

I have been employed as a seafarer in the ferry sector since 2002. I have spent the bulk of my time working for Stena as a ship’s cook.

I became an industrial rep 8 years ago and have served as route rep on the Birkenhead/Belfast route for the last couple of years.

At the start of this year, I was honoured and privileged to be elected Branch Secretary of Liverpool shipping. I feel a huge sense of responsibility and excitement at the task ahead and to carry on the great job my predecessor Sam Brown has been doing for the last 14yrs. Sam has been a great mentor and influence on my own learning and progression within the RMT and will retire held in high regard by all the members in branch; his efforts and welcoming persona missed by all.

My aim for the branch is to make it more inclusive by utilising social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook to reach beyond the age old problems of location and release. This will allow us to be more interconnected and should not be to the detriment of the branch. It’s crucial to the mechanisms of the union that we have well attended branch meetings, new activists attending and to hear from all members from all sectors of the industry. This is essential to retaining and growing jobs and also to understand fully all of the problems members are currently facing.

I’d like to finish by thanking Sam Brown and wishing him well for his retirement. I would also like to ask all members of my branch for help and support, no matter previous attendance or experience, in continuing the work that’s gone before. To steal a great quote; “The past we inherit, the future we build”.

I hope you all join me in the building.

Sean Miskimmon

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VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED Volunteer to be a Careers at Sea Ambassador for Merchant Navy Ratings!

Through our position on the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB), the union is working to give Ratings better representation in maritime careers events through the Careers at Sea Ambassador programme.

The scheme involves serving seafarers volunteering to visit schools, community groups and careers events to promote the Merchant Navy as a lifelong career. The MNTB provide resources and information which help ambassadors to present and promote seafaring careers.

Officers and Cadets have taken up this ambassadorial role in the past and RMT is demanding that the MNTB include Ratings ambassadors. But to do so, we need RMT seafarers to volunteer.

As our members know better than anyone, Ratings work every day to ensure the safe operation of merchant vessels in the short and deep sea sectors. Your skills and your jobs are too often overlooked and taken for granted by employers.

Raising the profile of Ratings in schools and communities up and down the country as a viable and rewarding career could be a massive step in changing this.

RMT’s skilled seafarers have the

credibility and experience to describe and promote the work of Ratings. Whether you work on ro-ro ferries, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, offshore supply vessels, research and survey ships or cruise liners, volunteering as a Careers at Sea Ambassador is an excellent chance to encourage the next generation to pursue a job as a Rating in the shipping industry.

The RMT and MNTB will provide all volunteers with help and assistance in fulfilling this role and basic expenses are met.

To find out more information about volunteering to be a Ratings Careers at Sea Ambassador, contact the National Secretary, Darren Procter on d.procter@rmt.org.uk

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100th anniversary of the death of Charles Wotten On the 5 June 1919, a fight took place in Liverpool involving groups of black and ‘Scandinavian’ men. The police were called and decided to arrest the black men. They went at the head of an angry white crowd to an area where there were hostels and houses occupied by the black community. There was resistance to this and two police officers sustained gunshot wounds, seemingly from the same bullet.

Charles Wotten, a 24-year-old ships fireman from Bermuda, fled from his house to escape. He was chased about half a mile to the Queens Dock. A police officer took hold of him there but the crowd snatched him away. He either jumped or was thrown into the water. He was then hit on the head by a stone and drowned. This started a chilling episode

in the history of Liverpool which became known as the 1919 Race Riots. Mostly forgotten and rarely mentioned.

Darren Pilling, President of RMT’s North West North Wales Regional Council reports “This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Charles Wotten.

If he were inclined to join a Trade Union he would naturally

have joined the National Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union which was a forerunner of the NUS. It was therefore right that we marked the occasion and remembered Charles Wotten. On Wednesday 5th June 2019 we gathered to pay our respects in Liverpool.”

Darren went on to say, “At this time of uncertainty it is appropriate that we remember a dark episode that demonstrates what happens when we allow hate to divide us!”

Darren Pilling President RMT North West/ North Wales Regional Council

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Seafarers Bursary Scheme (2016) Thinking of lifelong learning?

Want to progress your career?

We can help with a Bursary up to ÂŁ500 (subject to conditions) The RMT Learning Seafarers Bursary Scheme is available to all current RMT seafaring members, ex seafarers and retired seafarers. It can help with a variety of courses , either through local colleges, the marine society or open university.

Contact your local Union Learning rep, Shipping Branch Secretary or Paul Shaw at p.shaw@rmt.org.uk Tel; 0207 529 8813 for more information or visit our website www.rmt.org.uk/learning

Ivor Riddell – An introduction about his new role….

Following an expansion of the ‘RMT Learning’ Team, the project has appointed a Learning Organiser to concentrate specifically on the English based, maritime industry.

Ivor Riddell has been involved in lifelong learning, since 2014, starting as a Union Learning Rep, in the Rail Industry.

Then becoming a seconded, full time, learning organiser between 2009 and 2017; when the project was reduced in size. He returned to his substantive role with Southeastern Trains.

This year on the first of April; further funding was obtained to increase the sphere of the project and following a successful recruitment process. Ivor returned, but with a different focus, in the Maritime sector.

Ivor said “During my first period as a Learning Organiser, I did do some work with Paul Shaw on P&O and DFDS at Dover. Also Paul, with my support, sourced and set up funding for the Seafarers’ Learning Bursary scheme.”

“As part of my life outside the RMT I am also heavily involved in the Marine Society and Sea Cadets. So whilst not having any hands on experience as a seafarer. I do have a reasonable understanding of how the merchant service and RFA work and have a huge respect for the work they do.”

Ivor’s, role includes expanding the numbers and activity of Union Learning Reps in the industry, supporting and ensuring good quality Adult Apprenticeships under the ‘Apprenticeship Levy’. Addressing the functional skills gap in the Maritime Industry (Maths, English and IT) and developing the learning culture within the companies employing our members.

He added. “At the same time, we

must all maintain our focus on recruitment and organising in everything we do. As the strength and effectiveness of our union lies in the quality of our Reps and the density of our membership.”

Ivor will be out visiting branches,

working alongside Regional Organisers and Officers to help build our union through the learning agenda for the next three years. He is looking forward to the challenge and especially, meeting members at the coal face.

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Women’s Conference In March of this year Dover Shipping Branch hosted the 2019 RMT Women’s Conference. The decision was taken by the Dover Shipping Women’s committee to put in to host the conference. Shirley Fulton, the branch Women’s Officer, arranged the conference which was well attended with over 50 delegates from across the Union.

The theme for the conference was women in maritime with guest speaker Jackie Smith from the ITF. There was also a speaker from the local charity Samphire which assists with refugees coming to the UK. The Conference was also addressed by the General Secretary and the first RMT female President, Michelle Rodgers.

NEC member Steve Nott addressed conference and updated on the progress of the resolutions passed at the 2018 conference.

The Dover Shipping Branch Secretary said “To host the conference was a fantastic idea by the branches Women’s committee and from the feedback all delegates enjoyed the two days. It’s important to encourage all members of the RMT to become active and hosting the conference has certainly done that with members already asking about the 2020 conference which will be held in Barrow”.

Guest speaker Jackie Smith , Maritime Co-ordinator of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)

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Organising seafarers in Myanmar!

There are 130,000 registered seafarers in Myanmar, with only 40,000 seafarers currently working onboard ships.

These seafarers face several workrelated problems:

• Working on sub-standard ships • Large illegal deductions from their full monthly salary • Illegal repatriation deductions To address these problems, the seafarers joined together to form the Independent Federation of Myanmar Seafares (IFOMS) on June 3, 2014. Its mission is to protect their labour rights, guarantee proper wages and compensation, ensure a safe working environment, secure employment, increase their employment opportunities, and to expand the Myanmar industry around the world. IFOMS received an Acknowledgement Certificate from the

Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MOLES) in Myanmar on Feb 27, 2015.

The inaugural congress of IFOMS was held on Mar 30-31, 2015. On March 31, 2015 the ITF General Secretary and executive board attended and recognized IFOMS as an ITF affiliate union.

As of December 2018, IFOMS has been able to reclaim 5.1 million in wages, dues, and other compensation representing seafarers as a trade union in Myanmar including:

• • • • •

Death cases: 24 Wage cases: 107 Repatriation dues: 38 Injury: 45 Total cases: 214

IFOMS has grown into a labour union with 15,000 members. IFOMS has not only been able to protect their workers’ rights, but has been able to empower the

seafarers by offering trade union training, MLC 2006 training, and some other educational seminars.

The seafarers are not the only beneficiaries of IFOMS efforts, IFOMS has also been able to offer health and wellbeing programs to the seafarers families with the help of the ITF seafarers trust. This program offers free medical services, health and wellbeing seminars, family gathering parties, peer education training (HIV/AIDs/STD training), WIFI and coffee station, English training.

It is IFOMS goal to not only strive for better worker’s rights for seafarers, but to improve and enrich the living standards of Myanmar seafarers and their families whilst reaching out to trade unions around the world, such as RMT, to develop international solidarity.

Aung Kyaw Linn General Secretary Independent Federation of Myanmar Seafarers (IFOMS)

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Disaster relief ship RMT is supporting the case for a multipurpose ship, designed and built in the UK, to provide disaster relief and training berths for seafarers.

RMT is supporting the case for a multi-purpose ship, designed and built in the UK, to provide disaster relief and training berths for seafarers.

The Merchant Navy Training Board’s ‘Britannia Maritime Aid’ project is campaigning for the Government and industry to fund the design and construction of a new ship to improve the UK’s international disaster relief efforts whilst adding vital extra training capacity for trainee Ratings and Cadets.

The vessel would be owned by and operated on behalf of the UK Government and crewed by UK nationals. Half the crew would be trainee seafarers, including those gaining the sea time training in deck, engine and on-board service roles required to qualify as a Rating.

Alongside apprenticeships and the Support for Maritime Training scheme, something has to be done to tackle the lack of training berths

in the merchant shipping industry, which is another barrier to training the next generation of UK Ratings to replace our members who will reach retirement age or leave the industry over the next decade.

A minimum of twenty apprentice Ratings would be on-board at any one time, working to build up their mandatory sea time of three months. And for every ten trainee seafarers carried on the proposed new ship, training berths on

five commercial ships would be freed up.

The impact on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary would also be beneficial. At present, merchant crews on RFA ships carry out the UK’s disaster relief work in the Caribbean and elsewhere but the nature of natural disasters mean that RFA ships are invariably thousands of miles away when hurricanes hit. These natural disasters are also increasing in number and intensity due to climate change.

The Britannia Maritime Aid vessel would be permanently stationed in natural disaster hot spots like the Caribbean, with a minimum speed of 16 knots and capable of providing humanitarian support for three weeks without re-supply. It would carry at least 5,000 tonnes of cargo, with the ability to deliver and offload food and medical supplies in areas with no or limited berthing, as well as roll-on roll-off capability.

Other countries are already taking this dual-purpose approach to humanitarian relief and seafarer training, from the Netherlands to New Zealand.

For example, the USA is currently developing a ‘National Security MultiMission Vessel’ which would train up to 600 seafarers at a time while supporting the federal Government’s disaster relief efforts – another point in support of the RMT’s argument for legislation along the lines of the Jones Act which protects US crew and shipbuilders from unfair competition.

The cost to the UK taxpayer of the new vessel would be met through the Department for International Development’s existing budget. The slow turning wheels of central Government mean that the new ship might not be delivered until 2024 but the project also proposes an interim measure of converting an existing vessel – such as RFA Argus or HMS Albion – to carry out this dual function in the meantime.

There is work to do on this project, including a Collective Bargaining Agreement with this union if the vessel is commissioned but this is an important part of the campaign to train up more Ratings to work across all departments in the Merchant Navy.

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Overstretched? Aching joints?

Are you suffering from... muscular or joint pains? neck or back pains? tears, sprains or strains? whiplash?

With fast, free physiotherapy advice and treatment, we’ll get you back to full strength.

• No need to suffer - take action now!

• Call the Connect PhysioLine for fast, free physiotherapy advice and treatment • Available to anyone working in the merchant navy and resident in the UK

For more information call

0191 247 5000 Funded by the Seafarers Hospital Society (Registered Charity No: 231724) and provided by Connect Physical Health Ltd.

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GET A HEAD START AT SEA Get the qualifications and confidence you need to go further with our Maths@sea and Writing@sea online courses. Find out more: education@ms-sc.org

marine-society.org

quoting ‘RMT Learning Bursary’ Recognised for continuing professional development by IMarEST and the Nautical Institute

Marine Society & Sea Cadets, a charity registered in England and Wales 313013 and in Scotland SC037808

Did you know there’s a Citizens Advice service to support RMT seafarers?

Seafarers’ Advice & Information Line (SAIL) is the only Citizens Advice service dedicated to seafarers across the UK.

SAIL offers free and confidential advice on a wide range of issues. For example we can help with debt problems, benefits and housing issues, the practicalities of relationship breakdown and much more.

Our trained advisers only help seafarers, so they know the issues you face.

If you think SAIL can help you or your family, please call 08457 413 318 or 020 3597 1580. The help lines are open from 10am to 4pm weekdays. We’ll always call you back if the number is expensive for you.

Alternatively you can email us at advice@sailine.org.uk There’s much more information about how SAIL can help you and your family at www.sailine.org.uk

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Annual Basic Salary

4

Ethnic Group. (Please specify. This information is used as part of our equal opportunities policy)

A. White

English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British

B. Mixed/multiple ethnic groups

Irish

Gypsy or Irish Traveller

White and Black Caribbean

Any other White background

White and Black African

White and Asian

Other mixed/multiple ethnic background

C. Asian/Asian British

Indian

Pakistani

D. Black/African/Caribbean/Black British E. Other ethnic group 5

Arab

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African

Chinese

Caribbean

Other Asian background Other Black/African/Caribbean background

Other ethnic group, please specify

Sexual orientation (This information will be used for monitoring purposes as part of our equal opportunities policy)

Sexuality Hetrosexual Do you identify as transgender?

6

Bangladeshi

Homosexual Yes

Bisexual No

Prefer not to say If you wish to be contacted with information about union activities for lesbian/gay/transgender members please tick here