Stena Update - March 2022 by RMT Union

STENA UPDATE MARCH 2022

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR NATIONAL SECRETARY Dear Colleagues, I hope this update finds you well. As your Elected National Secretary and your lead officer at Stena Line I recognise that there are improvements to be made, communication on key issues is something we are seeking to improve upon and employer specific updates such as this hopefully supplements the good work that your elected representatives do to keep you updated with all the latest information. This update should prove useful for all members employed at Stena Line and I would suggest that if you don’t already have a copy of your Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) you request a copy and familiarise yourself with the content of the agreement as we have some concerns surrounding the application of overtime rates which is outlined in details below. Whilst myself and the various regional organisers with responsibility for Stena Line have been visiting ships over the past 2 years it has not been as regular as we would like, with the restrictions now lifting we are putting

plans in place and I hope to undertake a roadshow with the regional organisers visiting members on the various routes. We will look to communicate this well in advance in the hope that you take this opportunity to meet with us, discuss your concerns and allow us to bring you up to speed on industrial matters with your employer and progress being made on the various Maritime campaigns and initiatives. I will take this opportunity to respectfully request that all RMT members engage with non members onboard your respective vessels and show what the union is doing to improve your terms and conditions of employment.

Regards, Darren Procter

What RMT is doing about... PAY DISCUSSIONS

Following the conclusion of pay talks in 2021 for a multi year pay with a caveat that allowed discussions to be called if RPI was above 3%, following a request by the RMT we met with company representatives on the 9th of February in Birkenhead and outlined our claim for an RPI + pay award for 2022, backdated to January 1st 2022. Whilst you will have already seen an increase applied in wages for 2022 of 2% we are seeking an uplift on top of this to ensure that you are not taking a real terms pay cut. We have also requested an additional days pay for the additional bank holiday this year. We acknowledge that the company have a process in place to speak to all other unions and that we are the first to meet with them and requested that the company do this with a sense of urgency in an effort to consider our point promptly and put an offer on the table as RMT would like to see pay talks concluded as quickly as possible and not dragged out through a bureaucratic process of having to deal with other trade unions. We also placed a caveat that if any other trade union received an offer higher than RMT it would automatically be applied to those groups that RMT represent. During previous negotiations RMT highlighted a number of concerns surrounding the content of your CBA covering various aspects such as overtime rate being below MLC minimum on non UK flag vessels, pension details not being included within CBA, local roster pattern arrangements of 1 week on followed by 1 week off or 2 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off, terminology within disciplinary section, National Insurance provisions and concerns surrounding hours of work. None of the above have been advanced to the satisfaction of RMT and needs to addressed ASAP and not kicked into the long grass. We informed the company that RMT have no aspiration of dragging this out and would like a response by Friday 18th February 2022 and the company have been chased up seeking a response.

UPCOMING NATIONAL MEETING

We have a scheduled national meeting which will take place in person in the port of Birkenhead to discuss issues and outstanding concerns. The meeting is scheduled to take place on the 15th March 2022. This will be the first in person National Meeting for some time and in an effort to address many of the outstanding issues and concerns, we are hoping for a constructive meeting and progress on many issues. For a greater understanding of issues to be raised or more details surrounding the purpose of national meetings please approach your elected shipboard representative.

PAYROLL ISSUES

During pay discussions we once again requested that due to ongoing payroll issues that any individual not paid correctly should be able to have owed wages paid immediately if over a minimum amount. We also raised the complexity of payslips within Stena Line and requested simplified versions used previously or an explanatory document to assist members as the current payslips are not user friendly. Stena have also advised us that a new payroll manager has been employed and hopefully this will address many of the issues encountered by RMT members. Additionally all members should of received an update from your employer with regards to a payroll specific helpline to remedy any issues that members have with regards to your pay.

ITS TIME TO WAKE UP STENA!

RMT Representatives from ship and shore had a face to face meeting with new chief people and communications officer Margareta Jensen-Dickinson and Group head of Industrial Relations Andrew Shaw. Your elected representatives articulated the concerns and frustrations of members within the workplace, identifying how they felt Stena had changed over years, the constant battle to get paid correctly and poor communication from payroll dept once an issue was raised. There was a general consensus from both the ports and the ships that our members felt undervalued and are not treated with the respect you deserve in your workplace. Examples were given whereby the company had not listened to RMT at local level in an effort to address our concerns but once escalated actions were taken. A perfect example being crewing levels, only once a meeting was called over serious safety concerns by the RMT with Ian Hampton, Paul Grant and Andrew Shaw and the vessels visited by senior management did they establish that crewing was a problem and moved immediately to remedy the situation. Why then are RMT not being listened to at a local level or are individuals at local management level not empowered or capable of seeking a resolution to the issues raised by your workplace representatives. The meeting was seen as a positive step forward but talk is cheap and the company will be judged on its actions to implement a culture of listening to its workforce, reacting positively by improved workforce engagement and constructive dialogue with RMT representatives. It really is time for Stena to wake up and recognise that token gestures such as mini eggs and ice creams are not what is required to boost morale or reinstate trust within the company.

ARE YOU BEING PAID CORRECTLY?

In addition to the above mentioned pay update we have identified the need for an emergency meeting to discuss the application of overtime hours as per the CBA. It is RMTs understanding that these have not been applied as per the CBA and that quite often vessels are operating to their own interpretation of the CBA and our concerns centre around the various elements identified further in this update.

RECALL PAYMENTS

RMT have requested that improvements be made to the above and we have had temporary arrangements in place for 2021/22 of 1.5X. RMT would like to see an increased permanent formula for any individual employed by Stena Line who is recalled onboard and we have reminded the company that during the company sick pay negotiations the company informed us there had to be uniformity across the business and other bargaining groups benefited as a result of RMT negotiations. If the company want uniformity then our recall rate should be 2x like that of the officers.

OVERTIME PAYMENTS

During pay discussions in 2021 with Stena Line RMT raised a number of issues as part of negotiations in which we received assurances that updates would be made to the CBA. To date the company has done nothing to progress many of the issues raised by RMT. One of the issues raised was in relation to rest hours and the company procedures not to highlight rest periods on some vessels instead opting for a straight 13 hours of work. Without pointing out the obvious, it was important to reiterate to the company that there are only 2 types of time onboard a vessel, working time or rest time. Our full time permanent members of staff have a contract for 2016 hours per annum over 24 weeks in exchange for an annual salary. Whilst the same concern remains in place for Part time staff In order to simplify this concern we will use the example of a full time seafarer. If we take the official records from vessels (hours of rest) identifying hours worked it will on some occasions identify the following: 13 hours per day = 91 hours work per week. 24 weeks x 91 hours = 2184 hours work per annum. 2184 hours is 168 hours additional to the contractual 2016 hours required. It clearly identifies within the CBA that any hours worked in excess of the 84 hour rostered duties would be paid as overtime. For ease of reference the CBA states the following:

Where the hours worked in a particular week exceed the total number of rostered hours for that week, the extra hours will be treated as overtime and will be paid at the overtime rate of pay. The hourly overtime rate is calculated as follows: Annual salary x 1.25 divided by 2016. Given that the official documentation recording hours of work and rest is confirmed by seafarers onboard it would be expected that a process is in place to communicate from the vessel to the relevant department for the payment of overtime. This appears to have not occurred and many members of RMT across the fleet will be impacted by this and may now have a claim for unpaid overtime.

LATE ARRIVAL ON CHANGEOVER DAY

In addition to the above overtime payments we have concerns regarding the application of the CBA when a vessel is late on crew change day. Your CBA States the following:

Late-arrival on Crew Changeover Day 5.1. In circumstances when a vessel is running late and is delayed beyond the normal crew changeover time, if you are required to work more than your rostered 84 hours, you will be compensated in the form of an overtime payment (see 4.4) which will be paid on a monthly basis. 5.2. (i) If you are detained onboard due to the late running of a vessel but are not required to work beyond your rostered 84 hours, the time in excess of the first 30 minutes beyond the normal changeover will be credited and will count towards the 2016 annual hours for which you are paid. Exclusions in respect of recall and release from rostered duty over the Christmas period will apply. (ii) This means that if your annual working rostered hours, together with any credits for late arrivals, excluding recall and release from duty over the Christmas period, are in excess of 2016 hours in any calendar year you will be compensated for the excess hours using the following calculation: Annual Salary x 12 2016 Having requested information from our elected representatives it appears that the recording of hours worked is not kept. Whilst it is accepted that some individuals could be below 2016 hours, we would need to recognise that this would be for management to manage appropriately. Our concern is that crew have been working in excess of 2016 hours and not compensated as per the formula within the CBA and as such our members that have experienced delays on crew change day have not been financially compensated and also have a claim for unpaid overtime. RMT will be taking this matter forward on behalf of RMT members. RMT also believe that the terminology captured within the CBA needs to be strengthened for greater clarity and uniformity established across the fleet.

2016 HOURS - SCHEDULE / ROUTE CHANGE

When a vessels operation is changed for commercial reasons, for example placed onto refit cover, the timings can change and no compensation given although as part of the CBA under schedule 4.5 / 4.6 reads: 4.5 Your salary has been determined to provide for any alternative work occasioned by any change of schedules whether due to operational requirements or the requirements of the service. The continuity of sailings must be maintained and you will sail Company ships and ships managed or chartered or crewed by the Company as and when required. 4.6. If, as a consequence of your annual roster pattern your working hours in the calendar year, excluding time off for any periods of sickness, recall and release from roster duty over the Christmas period, are in excess of 2016 hours in any year, you will be compensated in the form of an overtime payment. Considering the points above along with the application of hours in excess of 2016 in this instance the CBA is not being fulfilled and RMT will be seeking to ensure members are being paid in accordance with CBA for additional hours. Any member who has details of this occurring on your vessel should speak with your shipboard representative in the first instance as we will be looking to progress this matter with your employer.

OFFICIAL JOINING TIMES

Stena Line have vessels operating that regularly alter crew change joining times to accommodate the commercial requirements of the company which impacts the time off of our members without any compensation. It is up to the company to manage the rostered hours accordingly and each week will consist of 84 hours of duty as per CBA and should the hours worked be less due to the commercial operation of the vessel then this should not negatively impact on our members who have made themselves available upon joining the vessel. For those having to work additional hours or being retained onboard the application of the CBA should compensate for those hours. Any changes to official crew change times should be communicated in reasonable time to crew and the RMT regional organisers made aware of any changes to the commercial operation of a vessel. We are seeking definitive official joining times for each vessel to overcome any negative impact arising from changes to commercial operations. Any RMT member who has not been paid correctly as a consequence of mismanagement of the various overtime rates contained within the CBA should approach your local rep with details including copies of your hours of rest, dates of excess hours, route changes etc in the first instance and we will be looking to discuss this with the company at the next National meeting in March.

PENSIONS AND PLANNING YOUR RETIREMENT

For those individuals heading towards the twilight years and thinking of retirement it is important that we as a union seek to develop discussions with employers and jointly support those individuals looking to retire. This is important because we want to ensure that those individuals are making the best choices for retirement and that after a lifetime of working that individual is mentally prepared for a life away from your respective vessel. It is also important as we need to seek to identify opportunities for the younger generation by filling the positions of those individuals who are retiring. Your union will be seeking to facilitate pre-retirement courses to assist any individual looking at retirement over the next few years. If this is something that you are interested in then please get in contact.

TEMPORARY LABOUR PRACTICES

RMT have been concerned for some time regarding the amount of and utilisation of temporary labour throughout Stena Line, we would like to see more individuals with permanent positions throughout the fleet and the company have confirmed to us in the meeting that recently took place in Birkenhead that the previous practice of breaking employment after 11 months with the company has ceased. This is a small step in the right direction and we must continue to campaign for more permanent jobs across Stena Line. Should any individual become aware of this practice continuing then please contact RMT immediately with all details.

RECOGNITION AND PROCEDURAL AGREEMENT

The RMT recognise that the ability to deal with issues locally and promptly has to be improved. In other Ferry companies we have “Port Committees” and at Stena we have an inconsistent approach with routes such as Harwich having regular local meetings whilst other routes haven’t had had local meetings for some considerable time in order to discuss and address your local issues. The company have drafted and presented a draft recognition agreement and we are currently working on this in an effort to improve local discussions and formal structures. We will keep you updated on this progress.

MENTAL WELLBEING We recently challenged the company on its work surrounding Mental Health and wellbeing and identified that your employer could be doing more in this area and is not doing as well as other employers. Mental Health on ships has been compounded further by the pandemic and this is an area that we have recently initiated a campaign to establish best practice. Some employers have developed educational courses, support networks, communication campaigns and are having a proactive approach to Mental health, whilst others are doing the bare minimal. How well do you think your employer is approaching mental Health? This is an area that we will be looking to work with your employer to develop. By way of an example other employers are ensuring that all staff are educated on Mental Health, understanding the signs and support that is available, putting in place workplace Mental Health first aiders and continually running initiatives to promote Mental Health in the workplace. If this is an area that you are interested in then please get in contact with our health and safety department for more information at j.havard@rmt.org.uk.

YOUR

Mental Health Matters You are not alone... there is help at hand.

Mental Health Matters

RMT is working closely with employers and health charities to better understand, improve support and promote mental wellbeing in your workplace

HELP TO BUILD THE RMT AT STENA LINE 100% FERRY CAMPAIGN It is the responsibility of every RMT member at Stena Line to help recruit the non members onboard your vessel, we need members to be having conversations onboard with those not currently in the union about how issues are raised and addressed, or as the case may be, not addressed and understand why that is. We should be reminding those individuals who are not currently a member of RMT but continuously complaining about a particular issue to join RMT because nothing ever changed by doing nothing about an issue and your union is challenging your employer on the concerns of RMT members. We are a not an insurance policy in case of disciplinary action, we are a members lead, democratic organisation that represent the interests of seafarers within your workplace and at most Ferry companies within the UK. The best people to recruit non members and to organise with an agenda of improving your terms and conditions within the workplace are RMT members within your workplace. Help build a stronger workplace by recruiting the 100+ non members working across the Stena Fleet and become better organised than ever before!

CONTACT DETAILS All RMT members need to ensure that if you change employer, change jobs, change mobile numbers, change your email address etc you inform head office. As was recently the case when we visited vessels, members had changed details but asked why they had stopped receiving texts and emails with updates from the union. If we don’t have your correct details on file then we will be ineffective in our communication to you. If you do not receive texts from RMT - we do not have your correct mobile number. If you do not receive RMT news at home - we do not have your correct home address. If you do not receive emails from RMT - we do not have your correct emails address. Contact RMT Head office on 0800 376 3706, use the app or log on to the website to update your personal details.

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