European Review Issue 38 page 5

Paul Moloney is the Senior National Secretary at the maritime trade union Nautilus UK (formerly known as NUMAST). As co-ordinator of the Union's Nautilus project he works closely with Dutch union Nautilus NL. He is also currently helping to shape the European Transport Federation's employment campaign. In addition he negotiates with a number of large employers of British and Dutch officers, including Carnival UK, Holland America Line and Maersk. Paul has a long history in the British trade union movement. Before joining NUMAST in 1997 he worked for a number of other unions representing a diverse group of members.

Nautilus UK was formed late last year after maritime union NUMAST changed its name. Significantly, the Dutch maritime union, FWZ, changed its name to Nautilus NL on the same day. The two unions now work together as the Nautilus Federation co-ordinating activities both industrially and on campaigning work. This step is expected to lead to the creation of a new trans-national union, the first in trade union history. The maritime sector has long been considered the first truly global industry. Whether true or not, there can be no doubt that today’s seafarers work in a fiercely competitive environment where ship-owners can, almost without any legal impediment, employ workers at any cost, avoiding national protections such as minimum wage legislation and in the case of the UK, the Race Relations Act. ‘It was this that concentrated our minds’, explains Paul Moloney, Senior National Secretary at Nautilus UK. ‘We quickly realised that members of our unions were facing exactly the same problems, with ship-owners moving to Flag of Convenience registries and those trained to Dutch or UK standards being replaced, as ship-owners attempted to compete by being the cheapest, not the best’.

Stronger together

‘We recognised that together we are stronger. Working together we have been able to take the arguments about standards, training, added value and employment opportunities to the heart of the EU decision making process’. As Paul confirms, the Federation’s most important publication in its short history has been the response to the Green Paper by EU Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Joe Borg. It grasped this opportunity to put forward measures necessary to protect members from the race to the bottom some ship-owners seem to favour. ‘The document has certainly made its mark. However, we need to see its recommendations implemented if the employment of northern European seafarers is to be protected’ Mr. Moloney emphasises. ‘Even in the ferry sector, we now see unscrupulous companies sacking seafarers and replacing them with seafarers from outside the EU. In the case of Irish Ferries, they attempted to pay some on-board as little as €1 an hour, way below any legal minimum’. ‘The fact that this led to 150,000 marching through Dublin, shows the public support our aims’, argues Paul.
The Nautilus Federation also makes sense industrially, which has not always been the case in relation to union mergers within the UK. 20% of Nautilus UK members serve with Anglo-Dutch companies, so it clearly makes sense for the two unions to work closely together in companies such as Maersk, Holland America Line, Stena and P&O Ferries. ‘Working together in these companies as if we are one organisation makes sense for everybody’, he concludes. ‘In Holland America Line we are currently engaged in negotiating improvements to terms and conditions. One claim was submitted on behalf of Dutch and UK seafarers. This is certainly a first in our industry… and perhaps in any industry’. In other companies lay representatives from both unions have worked to draw up strategies, addressing those issues affecting both groups of members.

Aims for the future

So what of the future? It has never been assumed that the Nautilus project will end with just the UK and Dutch unions. Many other seafarers’ unions recognise their members are in exactly the same situation and are watching with interest the Federation’s progress. Nevertheless, for the immediate future the priority is to achieve the key strategic targets identified when the Federation was first created. ‘If we can convince the EU of the need to create a competitive climate within Europe that stops competition purely on cost, and the inevitable exploitation this includes, then the project will be a success’, explains Paul. ‘Add to that the work we are doing on behalf of members serving with Anglo-Dutch companies, and our other campaigning work on issues such as large passenger ship safety and the momentum started by our Federation will be unstoppable’.
There is no doubt that the entire trade union movement will be watching these developments with some interest. Once the creation of a new union takes place, then each section of the combined union will continue to be affiliated to the respective national trade union confederations, the TUC and FNV, and will continue to play an active role in them. Nevertheless, further developments are likely on the international scene and it may well be that in future years other partners are identified for Nautilus. As Paul Moloney enthuses: ‘once we have done the hard bit of actually creating a new union across international boundaries, then we expect many other seafarers’ unions to be interested, not just here in Europe, but worldwide’.

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