Royal Navy: "Fed up" Royal Fleet Auxiliary staff to hold historic strike near Portsmouth base after pay row

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"Overworked" Royal Fleet Auxiliary staff are staging a strike in Portsmouth today in a row over pay and conditions.

Members of the Nautilus International union will be carrying out a demonstration near Whale Island, the home of the HMS Excellent military base. Sailors and engineers have been taking action short of a strike since June 1 in response to a 4.5 per cent pay offer imposed on them by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The union said its members feel deeply frustrated and angry by the below-inflation offer, which they said is compounded by a real terms pay cut of 30 per cent since 2010. They added that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) has seen a retention and recruitment crisis.

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Members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) are set to walk out today over a row about pay and conditions. Nautilus International said a below inflation pay offer was imposed on its members by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). A demonstration is being held in Portsmouth.Members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) are set to walk out today over a row about pay and conditions. Nautilus International said a below inflation pay offer was imposed on its members by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). A demonstration is being held in Portsmouth.
Members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) are set to walk out today over a row about pay and conditions. Nautilus International said a below inflation pay offer was imposed on its members by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). A demonstration is being held in Portsmouth. | LISA FERGUSON

Nautilus director of organising Martyn Gray said: “Our members are fed up. For too long, the RFA, the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence have relied on the good will of our members to carry out essential operations. The key message from our members is simple, they are overworked, underpaid and undervalued.

“The only way to solve this dispute is with a pay offer that recognises the high rate of inflation and begins a pathway to pay restoration. This strike will make history, but not in a good way for an already crippled RFA. Nautilus is committed to finding a resolution as quickly as possible, but we will not allow our members to be taken for granted any longer.”

The union said it is also maintaining a presence at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, Merseyside, and at Portland in Dorset. it is also the first time that RFA officers are involved in industrial action. RFA staff belonging to the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are also planning to stop work, in what will be the third time this summer.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch previously said the strikes go far beyond individual salary. He added: “This latest strike is about more than fair pay; it’s about gaining the respect and recognition that seafarers deserve for their vital contributions worldwide.”

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RFA sailors support the Royal Navy on operations by keeping ships operational while out on deployment, alongside other tasks. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) previously said: “The Royal Fleet Auxiliary are highly valued and we are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue with them to address the issues they have raised.”

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