Stena Line commits to Nautilus officer members as UK and Irish redundancies rolled out
7 April 2020
Stena Line has told Nautilus its officer members will not be affected by the planned redundancies and furloughs announced in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Nautilus captains, chief engineers and officer members will retain their jobs as some 600 employees are furloughed and another 150 made redundant.
Head of industrial Micky Smyth said: 'These measures do not impact on our members, but in these unprecedented times, should this situation change, we would be consulted, and a formal process would be initiated.'
Stena Line announced the measures on 6 April saying it was 'an unavoidable response to the on-going global Covid-19 crisis, that has had a hugely damaging effect on travel and transport across Europe'.
The company will ensure those furloughed maintain 80% of salaries, it said in a statement.
The announcement of furlough and redundancies relates to both UK and Ireland shored-based and sea-based employees, including those working on vessels on the Irish Sea and North Sea.
It follows a reduction of the number of sailings on several routes; several vessels have also been taken out of service.
Similar measures are being taken across the ferry industry as the economic fallout from the pandemic continues.
The Union has agreed with Stena Line for its members as soon as practicable, to move to a two weeks on/two weeks off roster. 'However, we would ask the company to be considerate in assisting officers who may not be able to do so, who have specific issues that may prevent then doing so, due to personal family arrangements,' Mr Smyth said.
Stena management agreed to Nautilus International's request to review the situation in three-months' time.
Stena also confirmed that the agreed 2.1% increase in pay for members will be paid as soon as possible and backdated to 1 January 2020, said Mr Smyth.
Three unions are involved in representing Stena employees including Nautilus, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the TSSA union.
Nautilus members who are experiencing difficulties related to the coronavirus outbreak are advised to contact their industrial organiser for assistance. In an emergency members can also contact the Nautilus 24/7 helpline.
More help and our coronavirus resource hub can be found on our Assistance page.
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