Mark Dickinson, general secretary

Mark oversees the Nautilus mission to be an independent, influential, global trade union and professional organisation, committed to delivering high quality, cost effective services to members, and welfare to needy seafarers and their dependants.

Biography

Mark Dickinson has spent over 40 years in the maritime industry a career which began when he joined the British Merchant Navy at the age of 16. Once he achieved his Officer of the Watch Certificate, he moved ashore to study and gained a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Maritime Studies from the University of Wales. Later, he gained a Master's Degree with Distinction in Industrial Relations from the London School of Economics.

Mark joined Nautilus International in 2000 (then known as NUMAST) as Executive Officer. He had previously worked for the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) from 1987 to 2000 and from 1995 he was the Assistant General Secretary with responsibility for the federations maritime activities and Secretary of the Special Seafarers’ Department (SSD).

At the ITF, he was also responsible for and led the 1994 mission to locate MV Derbyshire which led to the reopening the formal inquiry into the tragic loss of that vessel. He also oversaw the ITF's Global Mariner campaign as the key part of the ITF's 50^th year commemoration of the fight against the flag of convenience system first launched in 1948.

As mentioned above, Mark is currently serving his fourth term as the General Secretary of Nautilus International and has held the position since the union formed in May 2009, following the merger of Nautilus UK and Nautilus NL.

During his time at both the ITF and Nautilus, Mark was heavily involved in the development of the Maritime Labour Convention, from the initial concept to its adoption in 2006 and he is the elected Vice-president (Seafarers) of the ILO Special Tripartite Committee that keeps the MLC under review.

Mark is also the Director of the Nautilus Federation which brings together 22 like-minded maritime trade unions and professional associations dedicated to the mutual support of their members in the global shipping industry.

Mark was awarded the Queens Merchant Navy Medal for services to seafarer employment and training in 2018. In 2022 he became a Young Brother of the Fraternity of Trinity House.

Mark's other roles include:

• Elected spokesperson for European Seafarers on the EU Sectorial Social Dialogue Committee on maritime transport
• Member of the ITF Seafarers' Section Committee and Fair Practices Committee
• UK Trades Union Congress (TUC) General Council and executive committee member
• Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund and Ensign Retirement Plan Trustee Director
• Merchant Navy Welfare Board Trustee and Vice-Chair
• Maritime Training Trust and Maritime Educational Foundation Trustee
• Maritime Skills Commissioner and a member of the Oversight Committee of the Cadet Training Modernisation Programme