CHARTING A SEAFARER REVIVAL

RMT members and conference delegates attending the union’s standing- room only maritime fringe at Labour Party conference in Liverpool this year heard impassioned support from speakers for RMT’s programme for reviving the fortunes of all workers in the UK maritime sector. The packed-out meeting saw the union’s SOS 2020 campaign fully supported by each speaker and detailed contributions from the floor chimed with RMT’s prescription for reversing the decline in UK ratings. Tackling chronic injustices like pay discrimination and avoidance of the National Minimum Wage received full support from shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald MP, who pledged to continue working with the union on a maritime manifesto for government that will “see the Carter Report from May 2010 as the basis for legislation to prohibit nationality-based pay discrimination in the shipping industry. “No longer will we accept shipowners and crewing agencies manipulating loopholes and undermining Collective Bargaining Agreements to employ foreign seafarers on lower rates of pay,” he added. That pledge extended to a review of training and the Tonnage Tax, as well as cabotage laws, which would re- balance taxpayer support in favour of UK-based ratings. Early adoption, by the current government, of the Legal Working Group on Seafarers and the National Minimum Wage’s recommendations for application and enforcement of it for seafarers on UK-UK and UK to offshore energy installations was also demanded by transport secretary Chris Grayling’s opposite number. The joint campaign of RMT, SIPTU and Nautilus against low cost crewing in the Irish Sea was also fully supported by all speakers, with the likes of Irish Ferries, Seatruck and P&O put on notice over the changes to employment, equality and immigration legislation that Labour would enact on entering government. RMT general secretary Mick Cash condemned government and industry inaction over employment and training rates which now see UK seafarers holding only 15 per cent over the 65,200 ratings jobs in the UK shipping industry. He also spelt out the disastrous effect that freedom of movement in the European Union has had on employment rates for UK and EU seafarers, with Brexit a clear opportunity to break the neo-liberal stranglehold over crewing and employment practices in the shipping industry. RMT national secretary Darren Procter also highlighted the specific cases of low pay and exploitation of foreign seafarers working from UK ports, reinforcing the need for meaningful action to stop this race to the bottom and for UK ratings to be trained and employed again in the thousands, especially in former maritime strongholds like Liverpool. With TUC north west regional secretary Lynn Collins in the chair pushing the discussion along effectively, Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson committed to work with RMT and Labour on an effective maritime manifesto that represents the interests of all seafarers being undermined by de-regulated competition for work in the UK merchant navy. In a passionate contribution, Chair of the RMT parliamentary group, Ian Mearns MP reminded the audience, RMT’s proposals show what is needed to revive UK ratings and how it can be achieved. This will be a hard road to travel but with the right policies on the table an incoming Labour government would sweep away the years of inaction and stagnation, to the benefit of the seafarers of today and tomorrow. Lynn Collins concluded the meeting by saying that the seafarers’ fight for justice was the whole Labour movements fight. RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2018 :: RMTnews 12 CHARTING A SEAFARER REVIVAL RMT holds Labour Party fringe campaign meeting to stem the decline of UK seafarers in maritime sector SOS: from left to right RMT national secretary Darren Procter, Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickenson, shadow Labour transport secretary Andy MacDonald, TUC North West regional secretary Lynn Collins, Mick Cash and RMT parliamentary group chair Ian Mearns MP.