Hi All! I’ve been browsing this forum for a better part of a decade. Never joined but enjoyed the banter and discussions and every time I made a career change I would see what had been posted about the company prior to going.
So for my first post I am asking a question that I honestly was waiting for to come up but just never did.
Simply who has been laid off or otherwise significantly effected with current events. I am not interested in people who were laid off last year, just directly as a reflection of current events and oil prices. I am also not interested in anyones personal issues, this is purely to get an idea of our professional economic climate. If you are comfortable post the company, or maybe the area that you work out of. If not keep it anonymous. I am just hearing so much doom and gloom from the usual story tellers where I work that I’d love to get an idea of the reality out there. I am sure I’m not the only one wondering how other companies are fairing and other mariners. I think it goes without saying but I’m not interested in politics either.
Personally I have not been let go, yet. I happened to be in my office for crew change a few days ago and overheard some conversations I was clearly not meant to hear and I am pretty worried now. I doubt I will be let go so much as furloughed without pay although unemployment is doable with that 600 dollars extra a week. Would have to make huge changes in my personal life but I wouldn’t be missing mortgage or car payments and there would be food on the table. My personal school of thought has been to do my best to keep all of my fixed expenses (mortgage, car payment, utilities, most basic food provisions) around what a minimum wage salary could cost. All the fun toys, nice dinners out, vacations and savings are paid for with my salary over minimum wage which is a huge amount. I’d rather be working and underpaid though than unemployment though.
We have again, written to XXXXXX XXXXXXX requesting to be involved in talks. However, we have not received any response. The company is not meaningfully engaging with us at this time and has implemented salary cuts with the threat of forced redundancies
I will reiterate that the actions of XXXXXX XXXXXXX in respect to the present pandemic are some of the most severe and draconian changes to Terms & Conditions of Employment that Nautilus International has witnessed in the Maritime Sector. We will continue to seek engagement from the company and from the respective jurisdictions in which the company operates and fight to support all impacted employees of the company.
I’ll be honest I thought there would be more answers and mostly negative. My company has yet to make cuts or layoffs but after what I overheard I’m certainly looking elsewhere. Also weary though because hate to be the newest guy at a company if where I go ends up downsizing.
I’m glad it appears so far our industry (well mine, I’m in the oil side of things) is fairing ok.
Please tell me that line was part of the message from your union
With a handful of the drillers announicing early contract termination I’d expect to hear of some layoffs in the oil patch. However, historically the Mates and Engineers stay with the ship, its the drillers and crane crews that get let go first, at least until things start going cold.
We are classified as pegs to fill a hole. Unless you are incredibly lucky to be working for an EXCEPTIONAL organization, get used to it. Business and responsibility to shareholders matter more in our business now. They are looking for average mariners, that will do what the office tells them and can keep their mouths shut.
Welcome to the new normal. I tried advocating and got slammed. I still try but I have to provide for my family though sometimes I feel I am letting down my afloat brothers and sisters. Maybe when I retire.
A subsidiary of Pacific Drilling SA (NYSE: PACD), whose corporate headquarters in is Houston, laid off more than 80 people earlier in April.
The layoffs came as the result of an unexpected slowdown in the drilling company’s business, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act letter provided to the Houston Business Journal by the Texas Workforce Commission. The company’s customers have been canceling or postponing contracts.
Pacific Drilling said it would lay off 82 people from April 13 to April 17, according to the letter, which the TWC released April 17. The 82 affected workers include a “substantial percentage” of those crewing the Pacific Sharav, one of Pacific Drilling’s vessels.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL.N) said on Wednesday it would lay off or furlough about 26% of its workforce in the United States, affecting nearly 1,300 of its more than 5,000 employees in the country, as the coronavirus chokes international travel.
I work up on the Great Lakes. I fit out a boat after winter layup on 3/21. We made one trip with ore for one of the steel mills and then they laid up the boat and sent everyone home. Our company is only running 6 out of 9 boats. After almost a month at home I got called back for a 30 day relief job and feel pretty lucky. With boats in layup, all the guys with seniority are filling the normal relief jobs so there are a lot of people that won’t get work for months. Some of the boats are still moving ore, but the mines are shutting down until July or August. With steel mills idling they will stockpile some inventory for when they eventually start back up. Once the ore stops there will be more boats laid up. Road construction limestone is keeping some of the smaller boats busy, but that can only go on for so long. Some other fleets on the lakes are also laying up boats. For Great Lakes Shipping this could be worse than 08-09. At least back then there were a lot of coal fired power plants that kept at least some of the boats running. Interesting times…
I saw someone post this on facebook, their union sent it to them as a template to send UK politicians, they said it was ok to share.
Dear ……………….MP
Protecting maritime employment and skills for the future
I am writing to ask that you support the RMT trade union’s proposals for protecting UK maritime workers from the long term economic impact of the Coronavirus crisis.
Regrettably, a number of employers in the UK shipping industry are using the COVID-19 crisis to attack seafarers’ jobs and terms and conditions. It is important to note that only 19% of Ratings jobs are held by UK seafarers and the average age of these workers is pushing 50 years.
Major employers, including ferry companies ##### and ##### are using this crisis to realise long term aims, such as replacing British crew with seafarers flown in from overseas on exploitative contracts. Crew supply, as well as the supply chain itself will need better control and strategic management after this crisis lifts; any UK seafarer jobs lost today will expose us all to greater risks in the future.
It is no secret that the shipping industry has enjoyed massive tax breaks in recent years. Trade unions, including RMT supported some of these on the proviso that they would protect UK seafarer jobs from being undercut by the ‘low cost’ crewing model. In doing so, all parties recognised that domestic seafarer jobs in the UK would be lost forever if left to the free market – a dangerous and economically perverse consequence for a developed, island economy.
After the COVID-19 emergency lifts, there can be no return to ‘business as usual’ in the shipping industry, especially those companies relying on financial support from the UK taxpayer to keep our seafarers employed and their operations running. To start building the post-crisis recovery in the maritime economy, I support the following measures:
• No compulsory redundancies of UK seafarers, dock or port workers during or after the COVID-19 crisis.
• Furlough and cash flow support payments from the UK taxpayer only to shipping companies that state their commitment to long term investment in employment and training for UK seafarers.
• Reform of the UK Ship Register and the Red Ensign Group to restore the link with employment for domestic Ratings and Officers.
• Increased public funding for training and developing UK Ratings.
What we do now will determine our maritime future. I strongly believe that we must enact these and other urgent measures to build a resilient maritime future that rewards good employment practice and restores the principle of investment in maritime jobs and skills through the domestic tax base. In other words – we need more UK seafarers!
Thank you for your time and I would be grateful if you could raise my concerns with the Shipping Minister, Kelly Tolhurst MP.
Yours sincerely
NAME, POSTCODE AND EMPLOYER (optional)
This is a sucky time for sure. My crew & I got off the first days of January & only hope to go back to our ship in the middle of May. Fortunately I stumbled upon a month of work recently but 5 months off when you are used to working an even time 60 for 60 schedule sucks. When did you get off if you don’t mind me asking?
One good thing during this crisis. The Federal Government is giving an additional $600 a week in unemployment. This is on top of your state unemployment. My wife who was laid off from her dental office part time job is making more with the state & federal unemployment than she did while working. There’s a lot of free money floating around if you qualify.
I don’t know who has it worse me or the guys that have been Gangway up going on 35 days with no definite end in site and some of them going on 7 months onboard (unlicensed can do 6 months and many do).
I lost a new house I was buyin outta the Covid deal and I ain’t makin ship $ but my life don’t suck now either. I can only imagine the mood aboard. I asked my buddy about that, he didn’t answer. That told me everything I needed to know,
I was supposed to start working for Kirby (Inland) at the beginning of the month. Start date was pushed back to May last month, and now my start date is “indefinite”. It’s goofed my unemployment because I come from and worked (until january) in another state so now my claim is taking forever to process and I have gotten a whole $0.
Anyway, with the fragile nature of gas and oil right now I predict the outlook for me actually being able to start for Kirby is grim. Started sending out resumes in my home state to companies on the Great Lakes about 2 weeks ago. Already have a company ready to take me on Mid-May if governmental restrictions. I really wanted to be in the gulf but I think joining a crew in the UP is my best bet for now. Glad to work for them (in the summer hahahha)
