Accessibility.SkipToMainContent
Industrial

Union wins job assurances as pandemic pay deal hammered out with UECC

23 April 2020

Nautilus has secured jobs and hammered out a pay deal for members put on standby at UECC (Guernsey) Limited.

The vehicle carrier operator introduced a raft of cost-savings measures after the widespread shut down of new vehicle manufacturer production lines resulted in the almost total loss of all cargo volumes and consequent loss of income.

Onboard job losses are expected at the company including non-renewal of temporary contracts. Shoreside staff have been made redundant.

However, following Union negotiation, UECC acknowledged the need to retain the most senior onboard skills and capabilities, meaning no Nautilus members employed by UECC (Guernsey) Ltd would be vulnerable to redundancy.

Members who have been put on standby by the company will receive 90% of their salaries with no monthly cap on payment.

The agreed standby pay deal is due to take effect from Monday 27 April.

The Union has also agreed to new rotations of 2:1, nominally eight weeks on and four weeks off. While the new rotas will affect members' time off, they will not be impacted financially once the vessels return to regular service, Nautilus head of recruitment and membership Derek Byrne said.

The changed rotations will be reviewed in 12 months.

As an international company the pay deal will be financed entirely by UECC unless UK government support becomes available for seafarers employed outside of the UK. Details of the furlough conditions have been emailed to staff.

UECC now plans to roll out cost savings globally. It will put seven vessels into lay-up, with three identified for cold lay-up as and when it becomes possible to de-crew them. The remaining four vessels will go into warm lay-up.

Delivery of new build vessels will be delayed.

The company bonus scheme has been cancelled.

UECC was in a financially perilous position prior to the global coronavirus pandemic. 


Tags

More articles

Health and safety

Nautilus FAQs on Covid-19 Coronavirus

  • Telegraph
  • 09 June 2020
General secretary message

Seafarers – our keyworker beacons in a global emergency

  • Telegraph
  • 21 April 2020
International

Ruby Princess crew repatriated as cruise ship heads to Manila

The cruise ship at the heart of a criminal investigation over coronavirus deaths departed Australian waters on 23 April headed for Manila.

  • News
  • 23 April 2020
Members at work

A son's story of a father stranded onboard a vital ship in the global supply chain

Like many Nautilus International members, containership chief officer Chris Kuiken should have been relieved from his ship with a crew change a long time ago.

  • News
  • 23 April 2020
Campaigning

Masters honk their horns for 'Heroes at Sea'

Ships' masters around the world celebrated May Day in support of 'heroes at sea' highlighting seafarers' vital role in the global supply chain.

  • News
  • 01 May 2020
Equality

Leave no-one behind: Fairness flagged for transport and other key workers

The coronavirus pandemic is a chance 'not to be squandered', to build a fairer transport industry as Europe recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, European unions and progress politicians said.

  • News
  • 22 April 2020
Industrial

Vroon flags redundancies as vessels laid up

Offshore emergency services provider Vroon has flagged crew redundancies on three rescue vessels that have been put into lay-up due to the coronavirus pandemic.

  • News
  • 22 April 2020
Industrial

Fishers and inland waterways crew are key workers too, ETF tells Commission

The European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) has welcomed the work of the European Commission to support maritime transport during the Covid-19 crisis and called for further attention for workers in fisheries and inland waterways.

  • News
  • 22 April 2020
Industrial

DFDS outlines pay freeze and furlough conditions

A pay freeze has been unilaterally imposed on all seagoing and shore staff by ferry company DFDS in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

  • News
  • 21 April 2020
Industrial

Marine Scotland confirms two year pay deal and commits to zero compulsory redundancies

Nautilus members at the Scottish Government Marine's offshore bargaining unit SGMarine will received a bump in their April pay packets under the agreed two year pay and conditions deal.

  • News
  • 20 April 2020
Members at work

Red Funnel explores extension to Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Ferry operator seeks volunteers for scheme as it deals with the impact of the pandemic.

  • News
  • 15 April 2020
Industrial

P&O Ferries slammed for driving down terms and conditions during Covid-19 outbreak

Nautilus has raised concerns with P&O Ferries following its proposed draconian changes to members terms and conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • News
  • 14 April 2020

Become a Nautilus member today