'Tremendous win' for Royal Fleet Auxiliary sailors as large pay rise secured for 'vital' Royal Navy work

Beleaguered Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) sailors finally have something to celebrate after securing a substantial pay rise.

Months of negotiations have paid off for members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), who were given a substantial settlement by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Seafarers staged multiple strikes this year before reaching this point, largely caused by knocked-back offers which were deemed “substandard”.

General secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “This is a tremendous win that reflects the determination of our RFA members who have taken strike action in order to secure this deal. RFA crews carry out vital and often dangerous work in support of the Royal Navy around the world. They deserve fair pay, decent conditions and respect, and this agreement represents a significant step forward for our members.”

The union said the agreement delivers significant improvements to pay and working conditions. Under the deal, the pay offer represents a combined increase of 8.26 per cent, with the equivalent of 13 days extra leave a year and a series of consolidated payments.

RFA personnel are civilian seafarers who play a vital role in support the Royal Navy on various deployments. Their job is to extend the reach of warships and keep them at sea for longer by providing them with fuel, equipment, supplies, mechanical engineering expertise and other tools.

Many are currently deployed on RFA Tidespring alongside HMS Prince of Wales, with the UK Carrier Strike Group conducting various drills in the North Atlantic under Operation Firecrest. Seafarers have been in long-running disputes with the MoD over pay and working conditions.

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They previously took to the streets in Portsmouth in 2024, before an agreement was settled in 2025. Personnel at the time said they saw their pay fall by more than 30 per cent in real terms, with poor staffing levels and people being “harassed” into returning to work early also being a factor.

Since then, many union members believed the promised improvements to pay and working culture have failed to materialise. The 8.26 per cent offer is an improvement to the 4.5 per cent deal which was rejected earlier this year, which was described as being “wholly inadequate”. Sailors walked out on more than one occasion, including those stationed on RFA Lyme Bay - currently in the Middle East.

RFA officers aligned with the Nautilus International union are also in negotiations with the MoD. They planned a 24-hour strike between June 9 and 10, but this was postponed after a new set of terms were presented to them.