Why are they taking action?🤔

✂️Since 2010, RFA employees have faced a real terms pay cut of over 30%.
💰RFA pay lags significantly behind other essential services like the armed forces, police, fire, and ambulance services.
👥Low morale due to recruitment and retention issues

This is really worrying - the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a fundamental part of UK defence - without these sailors & ships the Royal Navy is marooned!!

Paging Rishi Sunak & Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP. You stress the importance of defence, yet vital RFA sailors have been forced to strike over pay

On a hot and humid morning, members of the Ships company took part in the Bishan parkrun 🌳 🇸🇬 A brilliant run around a fantastic Park...oh and did we mention the humidity (85%) 💧 😃 🏃‍♂️ 🏃‍♀️

.RFA LYME BAY arrived at Sembawang Dockyard, 🇸🇬Singapore on Sunday British Defence Singapore Support Unit (@RFAArgus arrived yesterday)

RFA Lyme Bay and her embarked forces - part of the UK Littoral Response Group - make their first visit (of possibly many) to Sembawang Naval Wharves. Royal Navy UK Defence Journal UK in Singapore 🇬🇧 Strategic Command

It is actually a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship - RFA Cardigan Bay…
A timely reminder of the RFA’s vital work globally. Yet RFA sailors say they’ve suffered a real term pay cut over 14 years that amounts to 30% - and could take strike action if Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 don’t offer a better deal

🚨The UK government has committed to increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030, while refusing to move on pay for Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) employees.

🗣️Nautilus director of organising Martyn Gray said ‘if the Prime Minister is serious about supporting the UK’s

Amid all the tough talk by PM Rishi Sunak about increasing UK defence spending, has anyone heard anything about a pay dispute with sailors in the Royal Navy's support fleet?
If Royal Fleet Auxiliary crews go on strike it would impact the ability of the entire navy to operate...

A fine article by Tom Sharpe summarising the crisis engulfing the Royal Fleet Auxiliary that we have been chronicling for the last few years.

archive.today/Lx5Sz

RFA officers Nautilus International have voted to go on strike after rejecting the 4.5% pay offer.

79% voted yes to strike action
85% voted yes to action short of a strike (60% turnout)

nautilusint.org/en/news-insigh…

House of Commons debate on defence starting now.

Pathetic attendance indicates complacency and negligence in the face of serious and growing threats to the UK.

parliamentlive.tv/event/index/d7…

.RFA LYME BAY has delivered more than 80 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Gaza on behalf of the UK.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship is deployed to the Mediterranean alongside RFA Argus as part of Littoral Response Group (South) to help ease the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.

New article:

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2023

navylookout.com/the-royal-flee…

People ask me all the time if I am 'pro-Israel' because I am a Jew who has lived in Israel, and my answer is that being 'pro-Israel' or being 'pro-Palestine' or being a 'Zionist' does not properly capture the nuance of thought most people do or should have about this issue. It

The Duke of Edinburgh has visited UK personnel on RFA Cardigan Bay and HMS Middleton on a trip to Bahrain 🚢

The vessels are deployed on Operation Kipion – the UK’s efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Gulf 🇧🇭

“I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else - I can give my heart & my devotion to these old islands & to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”

You absolutely did all of that, Ma’am.

Thankyou, for

Chart shows how Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel have suffered worst real-terms pay cuts compared with armed forces and blue-light services from 2009 onwards.

We’ve been “recognising the economic climate” every year since 2010

RFA LYME BAY . Providing the backdrop to a spectacular end to Armed Forces Day (Photos provided by Matt Weetch)
Navy Lookout Royal Fleet Auxiliary #ArmedForcesDay #Falmouth

RFA LYME BAY promoting Armed Forces Week, whilst alongside in Falmouth
Navy Lookout Royal Fleet Auxiliary #ArmedForcesWeek