Shipping

AROUND one hundred RMT activists rallied in London last month to demand action to save seafaring jobs. RMT parliamentary group chair John McDonnell MP welcomed the RMT delegation and joined the protest. “The United Kingdom is an island nation heavily dependent upon ships for our trade but the numbers of seafarers have declined dramatically from 30,000 in 1980 to less than 10,000 today,” John told the lobby. The continued trend towards dismissing UK seafarers and replacing them with low cost foreign nationals has continued for many years. The introduction of the tonnage tax regime has benefited shipping companies but not stemmed the flow of job losses. “We are facing the prospect now that within a generation there will no longer be British seafarers on British ships,” John said. He argued that while the shipping industry had pocketed over £70 million through the tonnage tax promises to create jobs had not been kept. He said that if shipowners do not deliver employment with the tonnage tax, consideration should be given to its withdrawal. RMT secretary Bob Crow agreed and said it was a “disgrace” that despite the handouts they are still getting away with exploiting cheap labour and dumping UK ratings. “It is made even easier by the continuing exemption of shipowners from the 1976 Race Relations Act which allows them to pay exploitative rates of pay to foreign national seafarers recruited abroad.. “It is shameful that the right to discriminate should still be enshrined in a law designed to outlaw it – and that law must now be changed once and for all to outlaw discrimination on British ships,” Bob Crow said. The shipowners can continue to replace UK seafarers due to the lack of employment protection for workers in the industry. In particular shipowners continue to enjoy an exemption from the provisions of the 1976 Race Relations Act which allows them to pay exploitative rates of pay to foreign national seafarers recruited abroad. It has also recently been discovered that the national minimum wage does not apply to UK seafarers on board UK ships whilst in UK waters; the legislation only applies whilst the ship is in port or UK internal waters. RMT news – Shipping news Save Our Seafarers RMT DESCRIBED the collapse of negotiations to transfer two P&O Portsmouth vessels and 350 jobs to Brittany Ferries as a “massive blow”. “P&O’s decision to cut these vessels is a massive blow to our members and their families, and another huge body blow to the UK shipping industry,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said. "Our view remains that P&O are not taking the long view, and that cutting these routes is an unnecessarily drastic move. “We have tried every political avenue to try to get some positive action to save these and other UK shipping jobs, and we believe that it is irresponsible simply to allow them to slip away,” he said. Brittany Ferries were the only other shipping company to indicate an interest in taking over the P&O Ferries ships on the Portsmouth to Le-Havre routes. Unfortunately the Office of Fair Trading decided to refer the proposed acquisition to the Competition Commission. It is understood that Brittany Ferries were anxious to plan their schedules for the peak summer season but the Competition Commission Inquiry has meant a delay of several months and the company has now announced that it is no longer interested in acquiring the vessels. The seafarers face dismissal in September. Shipping secretary Steve Todd said that members now faced the bleak possibility of redundancy which could have been avoided. “The transfer could have gone ahead last December prior to government interference which led to Brittany Ferries pulling RMT seafarers from across Britain lobbied parliament earlier month and rallied to demand that the government take action to halt the decline in shipping jobs Collapse of P&O ferry transfer deal “a massive blow” SOS: John McDonnell MP with RMT shipping secetary Steve Todd (right) at parliament 10 RMT MEMBERS at Caledonian MacBrayne have voted by two to one for strike action to defend their jobs, pay, conditions and pensions on March 23. The ballot followed the company’s failure to provide assurances that there would be no compulsory redundancies and no worsening of pensions, pay and conditions for its present or future workforce. The union had sought the assurances after advertisements seeking tenders for the Gourock-Dunoon route were placed last month despite the fact that the Scottish parliament rejected the privatisation plans last December. “Our members have voted decisively for action to defend their jobs, pay, conditions and pensions,” said RMT general secretary Bob Crow. “After three weeks’ silence from the company, I hope they will now see fit to get around the table with us to negotiate guarantees for the terms and conditions of the people who work hard to provide these lifeline ferry services,” he said. Shipping secretary Steve Todd said that the battle was now on. “There is nothing that demonstrates to us that there is any pressure on the Scottish Executive to press ahead with this tendering exercise. “Privatisation will mean job losses, the erosion of pay and conditions and a poorer service,” he said. Scottish TUC general secretary Bill Speirs agreed and said that a recent study by Jeanette Findlay of Glasgow University highlighted these dangers and concluded that it would be “the most expensive option for Scottish taxpayers”. G In the ballot for strike action, 66 per cent were in favour, and 34 per cent against. In the ballot for action short of strike there were 82 per cent in favour, and 18 per cent against on a nearly 60 per cent turnout. As Crew Managers for Foreland Shipping Limited, an all British Consortium of Shipping interests contracted to provide six roll-on roll-off vessels for the UK Strategic Sealift Service (25 years), we are presently recruit- ing for one Trainee Deck Rating and one Trainee Engine room Rating. Full training will be given to the successful applicants, which will be divided between time at college and at sea, after which tours of duty will be three months at sea and two months on leave. All six vessels are permanently manned by British Officers and Ratings and therefore, these opportunities represent an excellent long term employment opportunity for British seafarers. If you are interested in seeking employment with Foreland Shipping (Guernsey) Limited, further details and an application form are available from:- Foreland Shipping (Guernsey) Limited c/o Bibby International Services (I.O.M.) Limited Shearwater House, Nunnery Mills, Old Castletown Road, Douglas, Isle of Man IM2 1QA Attn: Recruitment Department Email: recruitment@bisiom.com WWW.bisiom.com BIBBY Bibby International Services (I.O.M.) Limited Providing Global Solutions to the International Marine Industry LINE LIMITED RMT news – Shipping news SWIFT action by RMT forced Stena Line to scrap plans to introduce low-paid Filipino workers as crew on its Harwich services and further assurances that the company will not do so on its Irish Sea operations. RMT gave notice of intention to ballot members for industrial action and action short of a strike after the company proposed to employ Filipinos as cleaners and covering seafarer’s jobs “in emergencies” on vastly inferior pay and conditions. RMT shipping secretary Steve Todd said that the company withdrew the plans following the threat to ballot members. "These are the most concrete assurances we have received from any employer and it proves once again that this union can deliver and is prepared to defend its members,” he said. “It would not have mattered what nationality the cleaners were but plans to take over other duties was seen as the thin end of the wedge by the union,” he said. Assurances have now been given with regard to the employment of foreign nationals. 11 CalMac members vote to defend jobs and pay Swift action protects jobs at Stena Line