MARITIME CHARITIES SUPPORT EX P&O FERRIES STAFF

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2022 :: RMTnews 25 M aritime welfare charities are pulling together to publicise the support available to seafarers who have been made redundant, including ex P&O Ferries staff. The Maritime Charities Group Redundancy and Retraining Bursary provides help towards the cost of training to stay in maritime while The Seafarers’ Charity‘s UK Maritime Anchor Fund provides financial help, relationship counselling and mental health and wellbeing support. Taken together this package of measures is helping seafarers who are out of work and experiencing hardship to get back on their feet and into employment. Between them the charities have helped 138 seafarers so far to the tune of over £66,000. The MCG fund was set up in November 2020 in response to the growing number of seafarers losing work due to Covid-19 and has now helped 100 seafarers. It provides up to £500 for training and refresher courses to UK-based seafarers who have lost work during the Pandemic and has stayed open to meet growing demand. Deborah Layde, CEO Designate at The Seafarers’ Charity said that hundreds of seafarers have been hit by sudden changes at P&O Ferries. “Many will be adversely affected and need support, perhaps for the very first time. The Anchor Fund can help with family or relationship counselling, signposting to welfare services and access to grants to cover increased welfare needs. “Many ex-P&O Ferries seafarers have been helped by the Fund and we just want to make sure that others in the same position know it’s there for them too,” she said. T he crew of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Mounts Bay participated in the Falkland 40 event at Portsmouth as part of the city-wide celebrations which started with a parade on June 19 with the unveiling of a new memorial plaque dedicated to the RFA, RN and the wider MN who lost their lives in the 1982 conflict. RMT was represented onboard by assistant national secretary Mark Carden and RFA/RMT convenor Ian Parkin took the opportunity to visit and update members on current issues hosted by RMT member and ship’s Bosun Shaun Hennesey. RFA Mounts Bay is one of three LSDA class ships in RFA Service capable of carrying up to 500 troops along with helicopter support and vehicles, with docking facilities to support port and maritime movements via MEXE Floats. MARITIME CHARITIES SUPPORT EX P&O FERRIES STAFF RFA HOSTS FALKLANDS CELEBRATIONS RMT member Shaun Hennesey with Falkland veteran Andrew Saunders RFA/RMT Convenor Ian Parkin with Mark Carden