MoD: Royal Fleet Auxiliary unable to operate half its fleet to support Royal Navy as pay strikes extended

Members of the Nautilus International union voted in favour of continued strike action for another six months. This comes as many RFA ships - which often support the Royal Navy on exercises such as Exercise Strike Warrior last month - are being left in dock as they cannot be safely manned.

A Nautilus International spokesperson said: “Members have given us a strong mandate to continue with strike action and action short of a strike. They have made it clear, once again, that they are willing to continue their action until the MoD can make a decent offer for the contested 2023/24 pay round and a pathway for the future.”

As previously reported in The News, union officials said RFA personnel have seen their pay fall by between 30 and 36 per cent in real terms over the past decade. A myriad of problems have plagued the force and its personnel, with some staff being “harassed” into returning from annual leave early to go on deployment. Martyn Gray, Nautilus International’s director of organising, said the force has relied on the goodwill of its staff for too long without addressing the many problems they are facing.

Industrial action commenced after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) offered a 4.5 per cent to personnel, despite extremely high levels of inflation at the time. Demonstrations have been held near HMS Excellent on Whale Island, Portsmouth, and across the UK in Merseyside and Dorset. After the most recent Nautilus and MoD talks, 90 per cent of voting officers supported continued strike action - 97 per cent voted for “action short of a strike”.

The UK Defence Journal reports a recent 6.5 per cent pay offer from the government was considered “derisory”, with officers requiring to relinquish multiple allowances for the proposed increases. “We’ve been continuing to engage with the MoD on this dispute and will continue to do so,” the Nautilus spokesperson said. “We believe there is a simple resolution to this, but the MoD are not yet able to provide an offer that falls within the expectations of those we represent.

“The next steps are currently being evaluated and further updates will be provided as soon as possible. We will continue to follow the relevant legislation with respect to notice periods and action. Discussions are ongoing in relation to the dispute and engagement across all stakeholders continues.”

Ongoing industrial action highlights severe work shortages, impacting various deployments. Over half of the RFA’s current flotilla is unable to operate due to a lack of personnel, with the UK Defence Journal stating that key skill areas are down by more than 50 per cent. Many vessels are currently docked and unable to sail. These ships deliver vital munitions, food, stocks, fuel and other items to Royal Navy ships while on deployment. This can be in conflict zones to keep military personnel deployed for longer.

The union spokesperson said: “We are now seeing the results of years of underinvestment in RFA crew. If the MoD truly wants to get RFA vessels back to sea to support our Naval capabilities, then it must come back to the table with a firm pay offer and a plan to support and grow its RFA workforce over the long term.”

Labour peer Lord Vernon Coaker, of the MoD, reference the strikes in a recent parliamentary question from former First Sea Lord, Admiral Lord West of Spithead, regarding the movements of RFA Proteus. He said: “The recent industrial action by Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) personnel has had no impact on the scheduled activity of RFA Proteus. The RFA are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised.”