We are worth more! Industrial action to kick off again at Lloyd’s Register

A year after a landmark organising success at Lloyd’s Register in the Netherlands, Nautilus International is once again preparing for confrontation with the company – this time over a failure to agree a fair pay deal that keeps pace with rising living costs. Rob Coston reports

In 2024, staff at Lloyd’s Register in the Netherlands formed a united front by joining Nautilus International en masse and demanding that the company recognise the Union as their representative.

After the employer initially refused to engage in negotiations, an impassioned campaign led by members finally brought management to the table. The pressure led to a breakthrough agreement that not only secured formal recognition but also delivered a significant pay increase for staff, bringing their wages more in line with the rising cost of living.

The success demonstrated the impact of coordinated collective action, laying the groundwork for the Union’s strengthened position in a new dispute.

Inflation concerns

In the latest negotiations on pay, Lloyd’s Register has been unwilling to move. Nautilus NL executive officer Richard Moti confirms that the company has refused to move beyond a 2% pay offer, despite inflation in the Netherlands running higher – once again leaving members facing an unacceptable real-terms pay cut.

‘Our demands are reasonable,’ Mr Moti says. ‘We are simply asking that members maintain their purchasing power. The CEO and other management colleagues got a huge bonus this year because profit has never been so high. We think employees should get a pay rise that is at least enough to keep their purchasing power the same.’

Faced with this, members have voted strongly in favour of industrial action and, since the company has once again refused to change its position, this action is now due to begin.

‘Almost 100% of our members voted in favour of sending an ultimatum, and they also voted very strongly for industrial action, with a really high turnout. More than half of the employees are now members of Nautilus. That means their collective actions will have a huge impact, so hopefully management will start to take their employees seriously.’

A call to action

While Nautilus will not publicly detail specific tactics, Mr Moti is clear that pressure will escalate week by week until Lloyd’s Register’s management returns to the table with a credible offer.

As staff prepare for action, Mr Moti issued a call for unity: ‘I'm happy that all our members are really joining together to influence the actions of Lloyd’s and to build up the pressure. I hope that employees who are not yet members will also join our collective actions, because we're doing this for all employees. They will benefit too if we succeed. Together we can stand strong, and together we can make our demands a reality.’