Naval Service Sailors to Strike Over ‘Worse Than Minimum Wage’ Pay
19th February 2026
Naval sailors are to go on strike over pay so low that it may be in breach of minimum wage laws.
Personnel from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) will stage a walkout in the near future following a strike vote by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) trade union.
RFA sailors crew tankers and supply ships used by the Royal Navy. The union claimed it cannot show that all its members “are even being paid at least the minimum wage for the hours they are required to work”.
The latest vote was accompanied by the claim that RFA sailors’ 12-hour working shifts at sea may not comply with minimum wage laws, which guarantee an income of £12.21 per hour for those aged 21 and over.