BELFAST SHIPPING BRANCH UPDATE September 2022 BRANCH DEVELOPMENT By Danny McQuaid, Branch Secretary Belfast Shipping Branch INTRODUCING LAGAN MARINE
Since the introduction of refresher training for the STCW certification in 2015, I found myself, in the role of Branch Secretary of the Belfast Shipping Branch, being contacted regularly from unemployed members enquiring about renewing their certification. Our branch officials began assisting members in applying for funding via the MEF to assist our unemployed seafarers in paying the course costs, but it soon became apparent that this was not the only obstacle. Whilst we were grateful of the financial help provided by the MEF to the members, the next challenge was travel to and from the training facility and the additional cost of accommodation when attending.
As part of a branch initiative we are seeking to improve communication and supplement national and regional publications with our own branch publication to publicise local activity, upcoming events, educational courses and potential opportunities for members of Belfast Shipping branch. Your branch is the link between you and the machinery of the union and in an effort to continue to progress and develop as a branch we need as many members as active as possible, whether permanently employed or agency, whether onboard ferries, in ports or within the emerging renewables sector. I hope you enjoy reading this publication and respectfully request that you make us stronger by sharing this newsletter with a colleague who is not currently in the RMT and ask that they consider joining and initiating debate about how we as a union can become better organised within your workplace and take the time to contact us so that we are aware of your views.
This was how the idea of Lagan Marine came about! Why were seafarers from Ireland having to travel to the mainland UK to complete MCA approved courses? The simple answer was that there was no training facility in the North of Ireland. And so it began… We started searching for premises to work out of that would provide office space, classrooms, workshop etc and were fortunate enough to source a building that was central to Belfast city centre with easy access to the motorway and public transport routes. After refurbishing and fitting the centre out with tables, TV’s, laptops, printers, scanners and all the necessary equipment needed to run the courses, we needed to come up with a name. This was probably the easiest decision we had to make with Belfast’s proud maritime history it seemed an obvious choice to name ourselves after the river that runs through Northern Ireland and into Belfast Lough. Lagan Marine, we now had a name and registered our business with company house. The next step in the process was to commence building the courses and to then have them Cont’d Page 2