Strikes by marine workers at Royal Navy bases have been suspended following talks with the Ministry of Defence.
Unite the Union said 300 of its members at Devonport in Devon, Portsmouth in Hampshire, and at Faslane, Great Harbour Greenock and Kyle of Lochalsh in Scotland had been expected to walk out amid claims they were locked out of consultations between their employer Serco Marine and the Royal Navy.
The union said many workers are “seasoned seafarers” with decades of experience working on tugboats and marine services, with some involved in the movement of nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers and other naval vessels, and that excluding them from the consultations had posed a risk to “fleet safety”.
However consultations will now go ahead and three days of planned strikes have been called off.
The crews are employed by Serco Marine, which the union said is currently in talks with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) about renewing its 10-year, £1.2 billion contract with the Royal Navy.
Unite said officials have indicated they want to reduce the contract by £250 million, which the union said would put 100 jobs at risk.
The union also claims service changes would impact their ability to provide a 24/7, 365-day service, including for the nuclear submarines which maintain the UK’s continuous at-sea deterrent.
Strikes planned for Thursday, Friday and Monday are off, and Unite said Serco has agreed to delay signing its new contract with the MoD to allow for 30 days of union consultations.
However the union said other industrial action will continue, with working to rule and an overtime ban starting on Thursday.
Unite national officer John McGookin said: “Unite is pleased that the MoD and Serco have acknowledged the concerns of our members, whose expertise and decades of experience are fundamental to the running of the Royal Navy’s afloat services.
“There will now be a consultation period to ensure the service is fit for purpose under the new contract.
“During this period, strike action will be suspended but action short of strikes will continue.”
The Prospect union has also suspended industrial action at Serco Marine following the agreement on the 30-day pause on contract signing, it is understood.
A Serco spokesperson said: “We are pleased that Unite members have stood down their planned strike action.
“We remain committed to regular engagement with both trade unions in relation to the MoD’s requirements for the next generation in-port contract.
“Our priority remains to provide vital services to the Royal Navy.”
An MoD spokesperson said: “We welcome the proposed strike action being suspended and will continue to work with Serco to resolve this dispute with their employees as soon as possible.”
