Members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) employed by the RMT union are set to strike tomorrow, Friday, August 16, 2024, following a walkout by officers from Nautilus UK, who took industrial action for the first time in their history today, Thursday, August 15.
The strike is going ahead after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) demanded both unions halt their actions without offering further proposals, instead providing only vague commitments to resolve the ongoing pay dispute.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch criticised the MoD’s approach, urging them to resolve the issue after Nautilus UK members joined the strike for the first time.
“It is disappointing that after initially positive talks that the MoD has retreated into a bunker mentality and refused to settle this long-running dispute over low pay,” Lynch stated.
He highlighted the RFA’s own claims of their personnel’s importance, pointing out that their website states 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.”
Lynch argued that if the RFA believes its operatives are “highly trained and working to the same standards as other military personnel,” then their pay should reflect this.
“RMT remains ready to enter into meaningful talks as ever,” he added.
The dispute has seen growing tensions between the unions and the MoD, with both sides remaining at an impasse over the issue of pay.
Obviously train drivers have a much more strategic job!
Here are some people overdue for decent pay rises to fix recruitment and retention.
Train drivers were already overpaid and got a massive raise……and not one Spanish practice was negotiated out…..like having to drive trains on a Sunday…..properly nutty on a railway that operates seven days a week.
If their pay has fallen behind like many others they should get something inline with the armed forces rise.
Please don’t wind me up re train drivers.
On a unrelated point I see Sky are reporting Challengers being used inside Russia. Interesting.
I’m waiting for Labour’s big rail plans which obviously include driverless trains being trialed on UK railways. Japan will start implementing driverless trains by 2028 having already trailed them since 2021. 😋
Then ASLEF and RMT would be straight out on strike.
Most of London Underground can run driverless but runs with a driver to open and shut the doors….
Given that the total wage bill for the RFA is, apparently, less than £95m per year, and that we have ships laid up for lack of crew, then giving them a pay rise of at least 20% is not going to break the bank. Unless we move manning the support vessels to full RN then it is not tenable paying the RFA crews less than they would earn on a cross-channel ferry or working as a bin-man for that matter. We not only need to retain the ones we’ve got but we also need to attract new people into their ranks to enable all the current ships to be operational. Especially encouraging young people to train to be engineers..
I quite agree.
The amounts of money to get it back on track are tiny in the great scheme of things.
No RFA = No blue water navy.
This has to be resolved.
I am generally not in favour of strikes but this one does have real world justification. If RFA is ignored any more and shrinks any more reviving RFA will not be impossible.
Then there will be £Bn’s of new ships with no crews…..how does that make sense?
Didn’t we just give best part of that £85m to Africa to stop immigration.
Agreed.
This is stupid in the extreme regardless of which government is in power.
The only reason that I can think of for the lack of sensible pay for the RFA is the confused employment status of RFA crews which means that a big pay rise would indirectly affect a few thousand other civil servants, e.g. others in the same pay grades would demand the same increase. So my approach would be to sort out the employment status ASAP and then give them a pay rise commensurate with the role they have. Either create a new employment status for RFA crews or add in a ‘military deployment’ component to their pay that at least deals with the pay gap to outside jobs… this could be justified as many RFA ships carry self defence weapons and are considered high value military targets.
Cheers CR
I agree.
Create specific grades outside of the usual structure.
Which “muppets” in the MOD decided to go to war with the RFA. This is self defeating. RFA crews deploy around the world, both stand alone and supporting the RN, and deserve a decent compensation for this. Just give them a bloody pay rise commensurate with what they do. They could fund it from getting rid of all the “non” jobs that seem to have been created both within MOD and associated Agencies in the last 10 to 15 years.
I would recommend to the unions that they confirm to the PM that no RFA ship will support CSG25 unless this is resolved.
Politicians love the kudos of these types of deployments so this might be one of the better levers to pull to get a resolution to this needless dispute.
He’s probably cut CSG25 as it would show him to be decisive?
I’m afraid it is increasingly clear that the government gave zero leadership skills and no coherent policies.
They are cutting things because it sounds good to the markets whilst at the same time hosing cash at an alarming rate on the un-needy.
The real test is if they can reform benefits which are totally out of control.
The real test is if they can reform benefits which are totally out of control.
I’m sure they can find a way dish out much more in a controlled manner 😀
The Norwegian tanker MAUD is already allocated, given the global footprint of the US MSC across the 5th and 7th fleets they could arguably be lining up to do CSG25 without RFA support. I imagine they will still send a Tide boat, but with one tanker in the group it could still sustain to the bare minimum requirements (albeit limited resilience, no solid-support etc etc)
Enough already. Just give them a decent pay rise. The junior doctors are getting 22%. On top of an already good salary. There are tens of thousands of junior doctors so we can definitely afford to pay the RFA a decent pay rise.
They would have to be moved from being classed as MOD civil servants first! If the RFA was to get a substantial pay rise so would all the others.
May I suggest we all on UKDJ write to Lord West on this matter to bring to HMGs notice. I recall writing to him a few years ago ( re sonar issues on T45s and he was at least kind enough to write back). I’m sure he would have interest in the subject unlike many others in the Govt.
Got a link to that?
Government and the RN, try to make this the most sought-after berth for mariners in the Realm. Pay these mariners so they make the Fleet their career, and not move on to Maersk, etc. No auxiliary vessels, no long-reach by the RN. From a Yank. For the West, get to it, lads.