NEW RATINGS TRAINING SCHEME LAUNCHED IN PARLIAMENT

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2011 :: RMTnews 16 A fter 30 years of campainging by RMT, the RRA is finally to be amended to outlaw discrimination against seafarers’ but only within the EU. The government has been forced to end some discriminatory practices due to the threat of EU Infraction Proceedings. This has arisen following a long campaign by RMT which has culminated with the EU declaring that the UK must reform current discriminatory practices as they breach EU Free Movement of Workers provisions. Previous regulations drawn up by the last government which were meant to come into force in October 2010 have been changed so that the very minimum to comply with European Commission demands is now being done. Under the new draft regulations, discrimination will be outlawed only for: • EU nationals and those of designated non-EU states working on UK flagged ships in UK territorial waters, • for EU nationals and nationals of designated states working on EU flagged ships in UK territorial waters and • nationals of specified EU states working on UK flagged ships outside UK territorial waters. In the last two criteria, the seafarer would have to prove a close enough connection to the UK for the protections to apply. The government intends to ignore the findings of the Carter Report which was published last June. This recommended the outlawing of all discrimination on UK-flagged ships. The Carter Review concluded that the benefits of ending this form of discrimination would outweigh the costs to employers. RMT national secretary Steve Todd said that RMT was disappointed that after over 30 years campaigning on this issue the regulations had been watered down to a minimum. “However we should be encouraged that we have forced the government into taking some action which in itself should be less encouraging to the shipowners in the continued race to the bottom. “I remain convinced that had we as a union, along with Nautilus International, not taken our complaint to Europe and convinced them the UK was ignoring legislation we would never have got this far. “We also will not hesitate to bring forward a further complaint to the European Commission if the legislation results in widespread evasion of these new minimum requirements,” he said. The union is working with the TUC, Nautilus International, MPs and the Labour opposition to plan interventions as the Statutory Instrument goes before parliament. Early Day Motion 1848, which urges the government to implement regulations which outlaw pay discrimination against all seafarers working in UK territorial waters, has also won cross-party support. R MT held a joint presentation on new ratings training schemes in Parliament along with the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) and the Chamber of Shipping earlier this month. The event provided MPs with information about deck and engine ratings training schemes and how they will fit into the new apprenticeship frameworks. The new ratings training programmes have been developed following intensive work in the last year between RMT, the Merchant Navy Training Board, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Chamber of Shipping and training colleges. The event launched the new programmes for deck and engine room rating apprenticeships. Further work for electro-technical, dual purpose and catering will take place later this year. The available programmes include not only Watch Rating and Able Seafarer Certification, along with Maritime Studies Qualifications (MSQs), but also form pathways within the Maritime Occupations Apprenticeship Framework. This means they attract apprenticeship funding which means that companies are more likely to train UK ratings. After trainees have learned the basics at college apprentices will go to sea for on-the-job training. This will be followed by further college time and will lead to a Watch Rating and Able Seafarer certificate. The new requirements considerably reduce the current requirements for sea time to qualify as an Able Seafarer Deck and Able Seafarer Engine Room. Both the deck and engineering watch rating sea time requirement is reduced from six months to two months. The able seafarer programme enables the regulatory 18 months sea time to be reduced to 12 months for the deck discipline and the regulatory 12 months sea time to be reduced to six months for the engineering discipline. This has been achieved with additional college time and making the on-board training more focused with closer supervision. The union worked hard to ensure that this was achieved without a devaluation of standards and that safety was not compromised. RMT national secretary Steve Todd welcomed the new training programmes which he said would give a desperately needed boost to Britain’s maritime skills base. “UK ratings training has dwindled to alarmingly low levels in recent years with very few commercial companies taking on any trainees,” he said. The programme is expected to provide training opportunities for around 50 deck-and engine- ratings in its first year, with hopes that the numbers will increase as it progresses. “At a time when young people are struggling to find work or training it is hoped that young people will have an opportunity to enter the Merchant Navy to train and eventually gain employment as seafaring ratings,” said Steve. The apprenticeship frame- work itself can be viewed on the Maritime and Skills Alliance website at www.maritimeskills.org For further information on these courses RMT members can contact enquiry@mntb.org.uk RMT members may also wish to talk to their local nautical college to see if they will be delivering the Maritime Studies Qualifications and the apprenticeships. Information on the Maritime Occupations Apprenticeship is available from the National Apprenticeship Service, www.apprenticeships.org.uk RACE RELATIONS ACT REFORMED NEW RATINGS TRAINING SCHEME LAUNCHED IN PARLIAMENT