In what could be a disastrous blow to the Royal Navy’s ability to conduct any kind of operations, it was announced in April 2023 that 79% of Royal Fleet Auxiliary officers voted to strike. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary was established in 1905 and has gone on to form the backbone of the Royal Navy’s at-sea replenishment and support for over a century. The strike action is threatening to paralyze the ability of the Royal Navy to operate globally because the RFA provides services of vital nature like refueling, resupply, and amphibious warfare support.
For years, the RFA’s discontent has been simmering: pay disparity, increased tasking, and decreased real-term pay have combined to mean morale at an all-time low. One retired officer said that recently, the RFA had been “defense on the cheap”; crews of 70 have been tasked with doing the work of a warship crew of 200. That has finally reached an unsustainable situation.
The RFA already operates its 13 ships with crews spread thin. Six ships cannot be crewed because of a lack of personnel, which includes three of the six tankers, the Fleet Solid Support Ship, and two of the three Bay-class amphibious assault ships. Their absence severely curtails the possible scope for the Royal Navy to project power around the world in reaction to crises.
The heart of the matter is in the pay and conditions of RFA personnel. The real-term pay cut for RFA employees over the past decade has been over 30%, making it very hard either to recruit or hold on to staff. One ex-junior deckhand commented, “This pending strike action is a sad day for the service which is very proud of what it does, but this is the only remaining option as the system is not listening.”
The RFA’s pay is way lower compared to its counterparts in the United States Military Sealift Command. An RFA deck officer joins on a salary of £37,000 per annum, while his counterpart in the MSC draws $156,000 plus bonuses, 3.5 times the amount. Even at the more senior level, an RFA ship captain draws only £86,000 compared to £150,000 for a commercial merchant LNG tanker equivalent.
This has meant that the total pay bill for the whole RFA came in at a mere £92 million in 2022, equating to 0.17 percent of the UK’s entire defense expenditure for the year. Many would say parity with the Royal Navy is merely the minimum that is required; even this might not be enough to sort out the RFA’s manning and retention problems.
At the center of this crisis is the uniformed head of the RFA, Commodore RFA, who leaves at the end of April 2023 to be replaced by a non-uniformed civil servant. The uncertainty caused by this change in leadership adds to a sense of being undervalued amongst RFA personnel.
The strike action by the RFA officers could bring the operational capabilities of the Royal Navy to their knees at a time when global tensions are running high. The Royal Navy will not continue to be a global, expeditionary, blue-water navy without the vital support of the RFA. It is time for the UK government to quickly address the concerns of the RFA personnel so this necessary service can continue supporting the Royal Navy in its integral mission of defending the nation’s varied interests around the world.