ForeFront: Union Mergers - The Nautilus Approach

Paul Moloney, Senior National Secretary at Maritime Union Nautilus UK, and Co-ordinator of the Nautilus Federation explains the background behind a historic vote currently underway among his union’s members.

A year ago NUMAST changed its name to Nautilus UK in what was a hugely significant decision. At the same time the Dutch seafarers union, FWZ changed its name to Nautilus NL, beginning a process that should lead to the first coming together of unions across international boundaries.

It is not described as a merger, but the creation of a new union, to reflect the uniqueness of this decision.

NUMAST and FWZ worked closely for many years. Both unions had in membership over 85% of those eligible to join and at the beginning of 2006, a Federation was created between the two unions. Work began on identifying those areas where both could work together as one union.

It made sense both industrially and in our campaigning work. With over 20% of Nautilus UK’s membership serving with Anglo-Dutch companies, we set about a programme of engagement with those companies, explaining to them how we would organise ourselves in the future.

For members serving with companies such as Maersk, P&O Ferries, Stena Line and Holland America Line, greater co-operation has prevented one nationality being played off against another.

In Holland America Line, we met the employer as one body and submitted a single pay claim on behalf on Nautilus UK and Nautilus NL towards the end of last year.

The benefits for both groups are already clearly measurable. A new bonus system rewarding all Officers has been introduced and for British Officers, permanent employment contracts and pension provisions have been introduced to bring them in line with their Dutch colleagues.

Similar benefits have been seen in the other companies. However, all members of both unions will benefit as we move towards creating a new union. UK and Dutch seafarers are both in a vulnerable position in the globalised market place that is the shipping industry. While there are many companies prepared to invest in the high level of training that our members have, increasingly we see quality under threat from competition on cost.

The creation of the new Nautilus will give us a much stronger platform to make the case for added value, to argue for enhanced training and to campaign for regulation where that can be effective.

We were able to take advantage of the European Unions Green Paper on maritime issues, producing a detailed response setting out our vision for the future of our industry, calling for action that will enhance and protect the skills of maritime professionals and create better competition based on quality not cost.

So we are now balloting our members, seeking their agreement to take this to the logical next step by formally creating one union. The outcome will be known by the end of January.

We certainly believe this will be the first international trade union anywhere in the world. It is certainly unique in our industry and understandably many are watching with interest.

For us, creating a new union with other like-minded maritime professionals is the right thing to do. We believe it ensures the voice of seafarers will be heard in a way that becoming part of a larger UK union will not guarantee.

And while we believe in taking one step at a time, we believe Nautilus will grow in the future. The same logic that has led to ourselves and Nautilus NL taking this step also applies to other maritime unions based in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

We certainly take the view that our strength lies in working closely with other maritime professionals and that at long last, after much talk, the union movement will have its first international trade union.