Harwich International Port Special Update
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR NATIONAL SECRETARY
Dear Colleagues,
I was recently allocated lead officer with responsibility for all members within Harwich International Port and I have taken over from your regional organiser Kathy Mazur.
This means that I will be responsible for negotiating your terms and conditions of employment and organising within your workplace, but Kathy will remain your regional organiser and will continue to support you and your colleagues. I will be looking to attend your shack on a regular basis to engage
with members, exchange views and assist in the development of a strong and united membership that is ballot ready should the need arise. I want to be a part of stimulating discussions in your workplace and setting out your priorities. I want to help deliver educational discussions on matters such as pensions, health and safety, mental health and developing your terms and conditions.
There is an old saying, “the past we inherit, the future we build” and I am committed to bringing about that change, but to deliver change we need more members active, working with your workplace reps, and delivering effective improvements.
Regards,
Darren Procter
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 also raise awareness amongst members to ensure your expression of wish forms are up-to date. Hopefully, you have updated your details when circumstances have changed. If you cannot recall doing this, it’s vital that you speak with your reps, and they can assist you by providing details of how you can update the relevant forms.
Pay update
I was accompanied by your three elected representatives at a meeting to discuss your rates of pay and conditions with your employer on the 24 February in the port offices. This was an initial meeting, and we were given an update on present port activity and projected improvements to port infrastructure and areas of the business. We presented our submission and elaborated on several points contained within the submission. Your reps will have by now given you a detailed update and we have two more meetings pencilled in where we will look to advance the points contained within our submission to improve your rates of pay and conditions of service.
Port visit
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all members who attended the meetings in the port on 8 January where I outlined my vision as your national secretary to develop a stronger identity for port workers within the union and advancing your priorities. It was clear that education on core employment issues such as health and safety, pensions, and your terms and conditions of employment would be beneficial as I think the discussions that we had during the day stimulated discussion amongst the membership. This is something that we must build upon, and I am committed to regular visits to the membership and improved engagement, whilst looking for members to become actively involved to ensure that you as a workforce are organized, informed and actively engaged with your union representatives and officials.
Harwich Branch
During the meetings outlined on the previous page we discussed how the union could improve, how we could evolve and have more members at Harwich actively involved within the union’s machinery to give port workers a louder voice and greater visibility. We discussed the potential of having a maritime branch in Harwich and developing our organising strategy within the port and bringing all the workers together from Harwich International Port, OCS (now Mitie), Stena Line into one branch and being more effective in how we are organised. A report was presented to your National Executive Committee, and this is subject to further discussion and positive strides are being taken to strengthen the union’s presence in Harwich.
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.
FREE £5,000 ACCIDENTAL DEATH COVER
Did you know that your RMT membership entitles you to £5,000 of free cover which pays out if you should die as a result of an accident?
• Cover lasts for 12 months – annually renewable and always free
• Guaranteed acceptance for UK residents aged 18-69
• This policy is underwritten by Stonebridge International Insurance Ltd
To register for this accidental death cover you can call 0800 033 4184 or register online through the RMT website by visiting the partner services benefits section.
The role of the branch
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
“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.”
in other companies across the maritime sector and beyond.
Branches also play a key role in affiliating with the broader trade union and labour movement. This affiliation 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 work within the deep sea sector and 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 not perfect!
Contact details
Periodically, we will make courtesy calls to our members to enquire if the records we hold are correct, such as employer, job grade etc., and quite often we find that members have changed employer or have changed a mobile number. It is fundamental that members keep their details up to date. Recently we had members complaining that they were not receiving employer specific material and when investigated we found out that some members hadn’t updated employer details, or didn’t have an email or mobile phone registered. If we do not have your correct information, we cannot communicate effectively with you. You can update your details easily in the following ways:
• 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.
