Mick Cash
Merchant seafarer union RMT today celebrated Merchant Navy Day by flying the Red Ensign, the flag of the UK Merchant Navy from Maritime House in London and Regional Offices across the country.
RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash said:
“We are pleased to participate in the annual Merchant Navy Day celebrations, in order to pay respects to the memory of merchant seafarers of the past and to raise the public profile of the vital economic and social role played by our members in the merchant navy who work to transport 95% of the UK’s traded goods and nearly 20 million passengers on short sea ferry routes alone, every year.
“We also use today’s event to sound a note of caution over the future of UK merchant navy seafarers, particularly Ratings who are still not being trained or employed in sufficient number to avoid continued and catastrophic damage to our merchant navy skills base. We will continue to work to achieve the aims of our SOS 2020 campaign ahead of next year’s Merchant Navy Day
