MoD: New Royal Fleet Auxiliary pay deal critical for sailors supporting Royal Navy but "massive" tasks remain

Members of the Nautilus International and RMT unions have both struck an arrangement with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) after months of industrial action earlier this morning (January 8). Sailors gathered in Portsmouth on two occasions to express their displeasure at the declining state of their salaries and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) itself, with them stating that they had seen a 36 per cent nosedive in pay over the past decade.

Nautilus International have confirmed that sailors, who regularly support the Royal Navy on forward deployments, Carrier Strike Group missions and other operations, have received an above-inflation bump in their salaries for 2024/2025. The group said this was one of the union’s longest running disputes, and the deal also acknowledges the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis within the force.

Martyn Gray, director of organising, said: “This agreement demonstrates the power of collective action, with over 100 days of industrial action short of a strike and five days of strike action. The outcome is the result of continued mandates for action as well as sustained negotiations to in achieve a meaningful progress for the dedicated professionals serving in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Whilst this is a positive milestone, there remains much work to be done to ensure that pay and working conditions are sustainable and attractive in the long term. That work is going to continue.”

During strike action, problems plaguing sailors in the RFA became clearing, which included personnel being harassed into returning to work early to plug gaps in operations. Simon Booth, a former RFA Captain of 37 years, previously spoke to The News about plunging morale caused by stagnant wages, long back-to-back deployments, challenging career advancement and other complications.

Speaking about the new deal, he told The News: “I’m really pleased for them, it sounds like they’ve finally got a good deal. The biggest problem in the RFA has been recruitment and retention, so this will definitely help with that. Without seeing the detail, I would hope this deal would improve morale. People didn’t go on strike because they thought it would be a jolly good idea and they would have a couple of days off. They went on strike because they were treated so badly for so long. This is the final acknowledgement of that, and by the sounds of it, some progress has been made, and if that’s the case, it will really make a difference and improve morale.

“Hopefully, people will start to take notice now and deal with these long term problems. Massive stuff is still to be done. Hopefully with this new pay deal, union members can stop worrying about that and focus on those other things.” The RMT said the deal resolves problems regarding backpay, maintains benefits such as travel vouchers and the bonus scheme, and encourages shorter assignments for a better work-life balance.

Capt Booth believes the current deal should have been struck to offset the forward-deployed role the RFA has taken over the years, joining military personnel in conflict zones worldwide. “It is so much more frontline then when I started,” he added. “They needed to be rewarded, and it sounds like somebody somewhere has finally come to that decision.” Nautilus International saw a turnout of 81 per cent, with 63 per cent accepting. Thoughts have now turned towards the 2025/2026 negotiations, which are due to start in the coming weeks. The RMT saw an 83.43 per cent turnout, with an 84.29 per cent acceptance rate.

Dame Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP for Gosport, said she was delighted to see the sailors achieve a new deal, having challenged the Labour government on the issue in parliament and through parliamentary written questions. She added: “I am glad that Royal Fleet Auxiliary strikes have come to an end as I know what a vital role the RFA plays in supporting Royal Navy operations around the world. I now hope that this generous pay offer acts as a springboard to improving rates of recruitment and retention in the fleet.”

An MoD spokesperson said: “The Royal Fleet Auxiliary provides crucial support to the delivery of operations with the Royal Navy and our allies around the world to help keep us secure at home and strong abroad. We welcome the ballot results accepting the pay deal. This is a Government delivering for defence. We remain committed to a continued dialogue with the RFA and their Maritime Trade Unions to address the issues they have raised."