Received from: Nautilus
This Congress recognises the strategic importance of maritime to the United Kingdom, with around 90 per cent of UK traded goods moved by sea.
This Congress is concerned that the UK maritime workforce remains modest in size, with just over 24,500 UK seafarers active at sea, and that long-term decline threatens the sustainability of maritime skills and coastal communities.
This Congress notes that more than 100 states, covering the vast majority of the world’s coastline, have enacted and enforced cabotage laws or equivalent protections to support domestic shipping, jobs and resilience.
This Congress further notes warnings that the wider UK seafaring community could fall substantially by 2040 if urgent action is not taken.
This Congress believes that cabotage and linked domestic employment measures can rebuild maritime jobs, strengthen supply chains and deliver community wealth building in coastal areas.
Congress therefore calls on the TUC to support Nautilus International and other maritime trade unions to:
i. support the introduction of UK cabotage legislation or equivalent measures
ii. link public support for shipping, ports and offshore sectors to UK jobs, training and collective bargaining
iii. support action against offshore employment models that undercut labour standards
iv. promote investment in maritime skills and coastal careers
v. press government to treat maritime capability as a core element of national resilience and national security.
Nautilus International