Maritime Manifesto launch and Government’s Maritime Growth Study

Circular No: NP/018/15

TO ALL SHIPPING AND OFFSHORE BRANCHES, REGIONAL ORGANISERS, REGIONAL OFFICES, REGIONAL COUNCILS, & COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVES.

Our ref: S1/1/15

6th February 2015

Dear Colleagues

Maritime Manifesto launch and Government’s Maritime Growth Study

Further to circular no. NP/014/15 of 26th January 2015, at the RMT Manifesto launch the Shadow Shipping Minister, Gordon Marsden MP committed a Labour Government to re-visiting the Carter Report’s recommendation that all nationality-based pay differentials in the UK shipping industry should be outlawed. This was rejected by the Coalition Government in June 2010.
The Shipping Minister, John Hayes MP also spoke at the event, endorsing RMT’s Maritime Manifesto and the Cardiff University report but without responding to the specific demands in them. The Minister’s positive words should be seen in the context of the 2% fall in 2014 in the number of UK ratings, down to 8,420 – a near 30% fall in ratings since 2011.

In addition, the Government launched a ‘Maritime Growth Study’ in November which will be chaired by Jeffrey Evans, a shipbroker who also chairs the shipping and ports industry lobby group Maritime UK. A ‘call for evidence’ to the Study has been issued by the Government:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/maritime-growth-study-call-for-evidence

The Study is clearly aimed at maritime financiers, insurers and lawyers in the City of London and its findings will be reported to Government in the summer, after the General Election. Therefore, the shipping and financial services sectors will be seeking to obtain from the next Government more deregulation and further liberalisation in the UK maritime sector, particularly in registration, survey and inspection of ships, employment, safety and taxation.

The union will be responding in support of policies to increase jobs and training for UK seafarers and the deadline for responses is 27th February 2015. It would be appreciated if any comments from RMT Shipping Branches and individual members could be emailed before then to d.crimes@rmt.org.uk for inclusion in the union’s official response.

It would also be appreciated if you could bring the content of this circular to the attention of all branch members and you will be updated with further developments.

Yours sincerely
 
Mick Cash
General Secretary