‘There's no law on Earth that stops the government making sure seafarers are paid properly’
RMT assistant general secretary EDDIE DEMPSEY says a Labour government has the opportunity to protect mariners, renew our port towns and rebuild a once proud tradition of seafaring in this country
The welcome news that Cuba has finally been removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list is tempered by the fact that Donald Trump, the man who put it there, is returning to the White House, warns NATASHA HICKMAN
Thanks to impressive progress in Britain with wind and solar generation, clean electricity now costs a fraction of the price of gas — yet the current system keeps bills artificially high to protect fossil fuels, writes TOM HARDY
By spreading race-based conspiracy theories, the billionaire tycoon turned right-wing provocateur has been seriously undermining the case against those who really did let victims of the grooming gangs down, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
Many Western countries are grappling with deep political instability. What are the causes of this, and what could be a possible way forward? asks MARC VANDEPITTE
KEITH BENNETT explains why, despite its present meagre economic outcomes, an honest and fruitful partnership with China is worth pursuing
Nick Wright talks to photographer and author JANINA STRUK
FOR Eddie Dempsey, RMT’s assistant general secretary, the destruction of Britain’s maritime sector is an act of national self-harm — one the union is determined to reverse.
With Nautilus and the TUC, it’s working on a mandatory seafarers’ charter — not just to prevent more scandals like the illegal mass sacking of workers by P&O ferries two years ago, but to rebuild one of the country’s proudest working-class industries.
“My father was a deep sea sailor who sailed out of the port of London. There’s no more deep sea sailors in Britain. The people that are working in the maritime sector are retiring, there’s no training provided to bring new people in,” he told journalists on the fringes of a union rally last week.
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Seafaring is vital to our nation’s economy, but the industry has been allowed to diminish with a devastating impact on our port cities and coastal communities – a rejuvenation policy is urgently needed, argues MARK DICKINSON
