Low Pay Commission visits – maritime sector action

Circular No: NP/040/25

 

TO ALL MARITIME BRANCHES AND REGIONAL COUNCILS

 

Our ref: S1/7

 

4^th March 2025

 

Dear Colleagues

 

Low Pay Commission visits – maritime sector action

 

In line with the NEC’s instruction on the National Minimum Wage file, I am writing to Maritime Branches to alert seafarer and port members to the Low Pay Commission’s visits in 2025.

 

Every year, the Low Pay Commissioners visit cities and towns across the UK to take evidence on the impact of the National Minimum Wage from workers, trade unions and employers. The TUC and other worker representatives are on the Low Pay Commission. This year, they are visiting the following places on the following dates:

 

Dundee 19-20 March

London 15-16 April

Swansea 14-15 May

Exeter 11-12 June

Newry 2-3 July

Newcastle upon Tyne 6-7 August

 

Maritime Branches are strongly encouraged to raise the impact of seafarer pay rates below the National Minimum Wage when the LPC visit the above locations, especially those with clear links to our maritime membership. 

 

The 200 agency Ratings employed on DFDS ferry services from Newcastle to Amsterdam, for example, are paid below the NMW. There are thirteen sailings a week on this route, which moves well over half a million passengers and millions of tonnes of road freight every year. The two Danish registered ferries on the route were built in 1987 and DFDS plan to replace them with methanol powered ferries. We will not accept the continued undermining of UK seafarers’ jobs and apprenticeships on this route. 

 

This also gives us an opportunity to raise with the LPC the importance of sectoral collective bargaining agreements with the RMT to ensure that seafarer Ratings, dockers and port clerical grades are paid well above the NMW.

 

If members in any maritime Branch want to meet with the Low Pay Commission at any of these locations to raise the impact of the National Minimum Wage on their pay and conditions at sea or in port, then please email the National Policy Department at d.crimes@rmt.org.uk

 

I hope this is helpful and you will be kept advised of all further developments in your union’s maritime campaigns.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Mick Lynch

General Secretary