A MESSAGE FROM YOUR NATIONAL SECRETARY
Dear Colleagues,
Your union is looking to put a greater emphasis and raise awareness of the organising activity that we are involved in across many of the workplaces in the docks, ports and waterways section of our union.
We have recently initiated a sector specific organising programme to increase the focus on this area, with a view to developing greater visibility of our union and progressing the priorities of you and your colleagues so that we are better organised than ever before within your sector.
As a union we have significant membership within this sector, and in recent years we have changed our union’s rulebook as there was separation with some members being organised by “General
Grades Branches” and other organised by “Shipping Branches”. This had unintended consequences and members working for some employers would previously not have been able to participate in elections that directly impacted on the organisation of your workplace.
The changes put in place now give us an opportunity to both intensify our focus on your sector, and improve our visibility and initiate sector specific campaigns. To achieve this, we need to increase the number of activists that we have within the sector. Each member of the union is placed within a branch based upon geographical linkage which is explained in detail in this newsletter and should be the architect of all that we do.
I hope this update will provide you with a broader understanding of the work taking place within your sector and encourage you to become actively involved in your union.
Regards, Darren Procter
Let’s talk about health and safety!
As we look across the entire sector our assessment is that we need to implement better health and safety practices, strengthen our representation and deliver a greater understanding of what is acceptable within the workplace.
Effective representation in the workplace is built upon foundations of trained safety representatives who are actively involved in risk assessments, safety inspections and accident investigations. Health and safety representatives should influence decision making processes and not just be informed when things are being done as a token gesture.
Do you believe that Health and Safety could be improved in your workplace? What would you like to see RMT campaigning on in the Docks, Ports and Waterways section? In recent years we have had one individual attending safety meetings from your sector, yet whenever I attend a workplace, safety is high on the agenda of concerns raised but invariably there is a lack of safety structure and culture to effectively deal with issues.
HEALTH AND SAFETY IN YOUR WORKPLACE
Our aim as a union is to have elected, trained health and safety representatives in EVERY MARITIME WORKPLACE. We must be pro-actively pursuing an improved safety culture and influencing positive change to hold your employer to account. Improvements can be made in every workplace! We must have elected health and safety reps in every workplace!
Elected health and safety reps should be involved in risk assessments
Elected health and safety reps should be involved in safety inspections
Elected health and safety reps should be involved in safety committee meetings
Scan here for more info: Or visit bit.ly/3SPvURP
To volunteer as an RMT health and safety rep contact your branch secretary or email RMT’s health and safety team at healthandsafety@rmt.org.uk
let health and safety be a tickbox exercise for the bosses!
Nothing will ever be changed without safety representatives and that is why it is fundamental to ensure that we have reps in every workplace who are trained by RMT. If you would like to discuss safety within your workplace or how to become actively involved in health and safety, then contact our dedicated department via email at healthandsafety@rmt.org.uk
Ardrossan Harbour – Renationalisation on the Cards
Ardrossan Harbour was privatised in the early 1990s by the Tory Government. Ardrossan is the only privately owned harbour on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network. Since then, Peel Ports has taken millions in dividends out of the port, which hosts one of the busiest CalMac ferry routes, Ardrossan to Brodick on the Isle of Arran. CalMac paid Peel £1.7m in harbour dues for Ardrossan in 2022-23 alone and that revenue stream has been mercilessly exploited by Peel.
The Scottish Government’s failure to deliver two new ferries to CalMac from Ardrossan has been compounded by the failure to start the work required to upgrade Ardrossan to accommodate the two new ferries and their hybrid diesel-LNG engines.
The first of the two new ferries, Glen Sannox, finally entered service (covered by the RMT CBA) in January but is operating from Troon. This is because Ardrossan’s Irish Berth was condemned as structurally unsafe in 2023, yet another example of the failures of privatisation whereby critical public infrastructure is fleeced for private profit and not invested in.
More optimistically, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop MSP announced in February that the Scottish Government has entered negotiations with Peel Ports over the purchase of Ardrossan Harbour. The 2025-26 Scottish Budget increases public spending on vessels and piers and a proportion of that has been ear marked for purchasing Ardrossan.
Clearly, there is more to go on this, but RMT fully support nationalisation and public investment in the infrastructure to guarantee Ardrossan Harbour’s long-term future as part of a People’s CalMac.
Don’t
Contact information
If members are not receiving correspondence from the union via text and email it is because we do not have their correct details. Quite often members will change jobs, change employers, change mobile number or email address and do not inform the union of these changes. In order to effectively communicate with our members, we need to ensure that the details we hold on file for you are up to date and correct. You can easily update your details by doing one of the following:
• Log on to our website: www.rmt.org.uk/about/update-your-details/
• Email membership@rmt.org.uk and include your name, membership number (or national insurance number), along with your current address information.
• Call 0800 376 3706. Please have your membership details to hand when you call.
EMPLOYER UPDATES FROM AROUND THE SECTOR
Recognition at City Cruises
RMT recently established recognition for members employed in grades working on the pier and within cabin functions at City Cruises on the Thames, following the implementation of an organising strategy. This is an extension of what had already been established as we previously had recognition for Captains and Mates at the firm. Whilst we have achieved recognition, this only the first step and we must ensure that we now get organised, seeking 100% membership density for those grades covered by the recognition agreement and having health and safety and industrial representatives in place. We have our first meeting scheduled in March with the employer to address the issues of our members.
Recognition at Svitzer (formerly Solent Towage)
RMT recently achieved recognition at Svitzer for members employed on vessels working out of the port of Fawley following a TUPE from Solent towage. This had been a long time coming, following hard work of several individuals in recent years, and we now have two elected industrial representatives and two health and safety representatives in place covering both shifts.
Petersons (Heysham Port)
Our members employed in the port at Heysham have had a series of meetings regarding pay and recently accepted a 3.4% inflationary increase effective from 1st January 2025 – this is applicable to base rate, overtime rates and on call allowance.
Recognition claims at Briggs Marine
The national secretary Darren Procter recently submitted a recognition claim on behalf of our members employed at Briggs Marine in Dover and both parties have met a couple of times to discuss voluntary recognition; we have yet to get this agreement signed and will continue to campaign to secure recognition.
Wightlink
Our members employed by Wightlink are well organised and recently accepted a 3 year pay proposal which included a 3.7% rise for all employees covered by collective bargaining and a minimum increase of £975 for full time employees, pro rata for part time employees which is effective 1st January 2025. Years 2 & 3 will see our members receive a RPI+ 0.2% in 2026 and RPI+ 0.1% in 2027 with minimal increases for the lowest paid individuals.
CalMac Ports
The union continues to make demands of the company that rates of pay and conditions of service for port workers be improved due to increased workloads and demands made on these essential workers. This is especially true in several ports during the extremely busy summer season and our lead officer and coordinator continue to apply pressure at the highest levels within the company on behalf of port workers. Your union has also raised concerns with management around vacancies not being filled quickly enough and it’s clear that the new tonnage when it arrives will exacerbate the pressures and strains on already
overworked port workers.
At CalMac, port workers are covered by collective agreements across multiple unions, and we would urge port workers to both join RMT and also play an active part in the union to help improve terms and conditions across the Calmac ports’ network.
Harwich International Port
We have initiated pay discussions with the employer and have additional dates in the diary to reconvene. The national secretary visited the port, along with regional organiser Kathy Mazur in January, and spoke about the importance of being organised and setting out the vision of how to become better organised. Across the day three meetings with members were held and all were productive and frank discussions with the three elected reps in attendance.
Stena Ports
The closure of Holyhead caused havoc on the Stena network and had a hugely detrimental impact on the local businesses around the port. Our members showed great flexibility which highlighted the importance of the people and their skills at the heart of every port. It also identified areas of improvement, particularly around health and safety which we will be a key focus for us in 2025.
Mitie Security (Harwich Port)
Members employed in Harwich port have recently been subject to TUPE from OCS and we are seeking representatives to become better organised within the port.
Port of Dover Cargo Ltd
We have been waiting to initiate pay discussions and had issues aligning diaries but hopefully this will commence shortly, and we will look to provide an update. All representative positions are filled, and we continue to improve membership within the port.
* The above employer specific updates don’t include every employer but provides a snapshot of recent developments
MEMBER BENEFITS
The following are benefits that are available to RMT members:
• Individual and collective representation within the workplace supported by local, regional, and national representatives.
• Full representation at disciplinaries, grievances, flexible working request meetings, welfare meetings, and attendance management hearings.
• Better pay
• Improved conditions
• Health and safety protection
• Legal cover – workplace and criminal for members and their families.
• A credit union
• Accident benefit
• Orphan benefit
• Retirement benefit
• Free will service
• Death grant
All member benefits can be found on the website at www.rmt.org.uk
It is important to remind those not in the union of the benefits of being in the union and also raise awareness amongst our current membership of the benefits that RMT as a trade union offers.
Photo Gallery from across the sector
Briggs Dover Port of Dover (PODCL Reps)
Above: Peel Ports Left: Holyhead
Above: National secretary with City Cruises pier and cabin reps
Left: National secretary with city cruises Captain Reps
Above: Svitzer Tugs Right: Harwich
Building a network
It is important that the union develops our activists and representatives through effective training. However, we also want to bring activists together from within your sector to discuss important issues, share initiatives and success stories and deliver improved visibility across your sector. Whether you work for an inland waterways operator, or a port company, there are many challenges and we need to set out what your priorities are within your sector, discuss what implications green energy may have, and develop a strategy based around your key concerns. By bringing activists together we will build a greater network of like-minded individuals who can help shape the future direction within the Docks, Ports and Waterways sector. We encourage all representatives and activists to be involved in this network.
Port Skills and Safety
Following an invitation from Ports Skills and Safety, the professional safety and skills membership organisation for ports, to take up an offer of “collaborative partner” membership free of charge we affiliated in late 2023.
This membership is designed to give trade union members better access to PSS services. This membership will entitle us to nominate individuals to attend various events and receive PSS communications including safety bulletins and a monthly newsletter.
The role of the branch
“The primary role and objective of each branch shall be the recruitment, retention and organisation of transport workers within its delegated sphere of influence. To achieve this objective, each branch shall create and work to implement a branch plan which will be submitted to the Regional Council.”
Upon joining the union, each maritime member is assigned to a specific branch. This branch is tasked with the responsibility of providing services and support to the membership across all the companies within its locally defined area, which is referred to as “spheres of influence”.
The branch serves a critical role in supporting members, representatives, and activists. We strongly encourage all RMT representatives to attend their respective branch meetings whenever possible or to submit a report detailing issues within their workplace.
Attending branch meetings offers a valuable opportunity to connect with other representatives and activists from various companies within the branch’s sphere of influence. This interaction is instrumental in breaking down workplace isolation and enables members to gain a comprehensive understanding of issues occurring in other companies across the maritime sector and beyond.
Branches also play a key role in working with the broader trade union and labour movement. This cooperation is vital for building support and solidarity, both when other workers require assistance from the RMT and when the RMT itself needs external support in workplace disputes or campaigns. Members of the branch can influence union policy by submitting resolutions to the National Executive Committee, to various grades and advisory conferences, or to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) – the governing body and parliament of the union.
Furthermore, it is within the branch that members are nominated for various conferences and other union bodies. According to our rules, all branches must develop a recruitment and retention plan, which includes workplace visits. Local representatives are encouraged to participate actively in this process to ensure we are well organised and ballot ready within your workplace.
If you have never attended a branch meeting because you are not really sure what it is or what function a branch serves within the union, then get in contact and ask for more information. We need more members from your sector attending branch meetings and voicing your opinion, without the voice of the membership very little will change, and we know everything is far from perfect!
Seafarers Statistic: The MCA issued 2,570 boat master licenses for work on inland waters and near coastal work between 2020 and 2024.
Expression of wish forms
As part of your union’s maritime pensions campaign, we are campaigning to progress life assurance/death in service policies and to raise awareness amongst members to ensure your expression of wish forms are up-to date. Hopefully, you have updated your details with your employer when circumstances have changed. If you cannot recall doing this, it’s vital that you speak with your reps or employer and seek assistance in how you can update the relevant forms.
Workplace toilet facilities inspection campaign
In recent weeks you may have seen communication in relation to a TUC campaign around workplace toilet facilities, which included webinars and template inspection forms for use by reps and a week of action taking place between the 17-23rd March. This is quite topical as we have identified that whilst there is a clear drive to recruit more women into the maritime industry, we have seen examples recently of inadequate toilet and changing facilities for women, particularly within the ports sector. I would encourage all members to report inadequate facilities to your reps, branch or lead officer with responsibility for organising at your employer to ensure that that we have decent toilet facilities in every workplace. If you are interested in the TUC campaign, then please get in contact with our health and safety department or visit the TUC website.
What is stopping you becoming active in the union?
I hope this update has been helpful and that it gives an insight into the work of your union across your sector and I would encourage every member to consider becoming more active in RMT to build a stronger, more effective union within your workplace.
The more activists we can develop to assist in creating a better organised workforce the more beneficial it will be for you and your colleagues, because the one thing every boss fears is a well organised union. As one of our previous general secretary’s, Bob Crow, once said “It all comes down to one thing – who’s better organised: us, or them.”
There is nothing to stop any individual becoming involved in the union, becoming a rep where we don’t currently have an industrial or health and safety representatives. If we currently have reps in place you can support them by concentrating on specific areas that you feel need developing such as women’s issues, young members’ issues, pensions and retirement planning, mental health or equality within the workplace. I would ask that you consider becoming involved: you can become more active today by recruiting a colleague who is not currently a member of the RMT to join the union.
