Officers at the UK’s Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) represented by trade union Nautilus International are on strike for the first time in the history of the service today.
The stoppages, over an unresolved pay dispute, will see Nautilus’ members present near Cammell Laird shipyard, Birkenhead; Whale Island, Portsmouth; and Portland, Dorset.
Martyn Gray, Nautilus director of organising, said in a statement: “Our members are fed up. For too long, the RFA, the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence[(MoD] have relied on the goodwill of our members to carry out essential operations.
“The pay offer for 2023/24 and the real term pay cut of over 30% since 2010 has made this goodwill no longer tenable.”
RFA members are civilian employees who operate the supply and logistics ships for the Royal Navy. Formed in 1905, the fleet consists of 13 vessels, including tankers and supply ships.
The strike follows a period of member action short of strike since 1 June, which will continue until there is a resolution.
Robert Murtagh, Nautilus communications campaigns organiser, told TradeWinds: “Currently there is no new offer on the table and we have no further strike dates planned.
“Our hope is government will present an offer soon. If that doesn’t happen, of course we will consider further action.”
Gray said the key message from its members is simple: “They are overworked, underpaid and undervalued. The only way to solve this dispute is with a pay offer that recognises the high rate of inflation and begins a pathway to pay restoration.
"This strike will make history, but not in a good way for an already crippled RFA.”
In April, members voted overwhelmingly for action short of strike and strike action, saying they were frustrated at an imposed 4.5% pay offer for 2023/2024.
Nautilus indicated that this falls far below the rate of inflation for the period and is compounded by the more than 30% real term pay cut members have faced since 2010, as well as a recruitment and retention crisis in the service.
“Nautilus is committed to finding a resolution as quickly as possible, but we will not allow our members to be taken for granted any longer,” Gray said.
RMT take action tomorrow
Meanwhile, members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers (RMT) within the RFA (ratings), will also be taking strike action tomorrow, following strike action on 1 August.
The MoD had demanded that RMT and Nautilus suspend strike action without any further proposals and “only vague commitments” to settling the dispute, RMT stated.
Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, called on the MoD to stop “prevaricating” and settle the dispute.
“It is disappointing that after initially positive talks the MoD has retreated into a bunker mentality and refused to settle this long-running dispute over low pay,” he said.
“The RFA’s own website boasts that the RFA is ‘fully integrated into operations around the world and provides vital support on everything from high-tempo combat and counter-piracy campaigns, to disaster relief and emergency evacuations’.
“If the RFA believes that RFA operatives are as ‘highly trained and working to the same standards as other military personnel’ then it should be reflected in what they are paid.”
He added that RMT remains ready to enter into meaningful talks, “as ever”.
