'Overworked, underpaid, undervalued' Royal Fleet Auxiliary officers set to strike
Officers at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) are to take strike action for the first time in the service's history.
Nautilus International said its members will walk out on 15 August in a long-running dispute over pay.
It comes after officers have been taking action short of a strike since June.
It comes after the Government accepted the recommendation of the independent pay review body for a 6% headline pay rise for the Armed Forces.
The increase in military pay will be paid in September and backdated to April 2024, but did not include RFA personnel.
According to the union, RFA officers have experienced a real-term pay cut of more than 30% since 2010.
This includes a below-inflation pay rise of 4.5% imposed in November 2023.
Martyn Gray, Nautilus International director of organising, said striking is "always a last resort for us, but there is a palpable strength of feeling among our members at the RFA".
"Over 14 years of cuts and pay restraint, despite the RFA undertaking increasingly complex operations, have taken their toll," he said.
"Our members are overworked, underpaid and undervalued.
"The fact this is the first time RFA officers will take strike action in history is a scathing indictment on the state of the service that is experiencing a recruitment and retention crisis and rock-bottom morale across the workforce.
"Despite early engagement with the Ministry of Defence post the general election, we are yet to receive a new and improved pay offer for our members."
He went on: "This is unacceptable and leaves us no option but to escalate from action short of strike to full strike action.
"Our message is simple. To avoid disruption at the RFA, who are vital to the UK's naval capabilities, we need a pay offer that reflects the high rate of inflation and a pathway to pay restoration.
"We remain committed to working with government to achieve that."
In response to the planned strike action, an MOD spokesperson said the RFA are "highly valued" and the department is "committed to listening to their concerns".
The spokesperson also said the MOD will keep "a continued dialogue with them to address the issues they have raised".
Ministers have met with the RFA twice in the first few weeks of the new Government, according to the MOD, who also said they are working to minimise the impact of any strike action.
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