The National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers (NUMAST) was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

representing

seafarers A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

and allied workers, based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

History

Nautilus traces its roots back more than 150 years, when the Mercantile Marine Service Association was founded in 1857 in response to the harsh laws of the 1850 Merchant Shipping Act. In 1936, the MMSA merged with the Imperial Merchant Service Guild and retained its name. Six years later, it became a member of the Officers’ Federation, which was established in 1928 in an attempt to foster cooperation between all the organisations representing British and Commonwealth officers. Meanwhile, the Association of Wireless Telegraphists was established in 1912 in response to the growing use of telegraphy at sea. Mergers and name changes down the years culminated in the formation of the Radio and Electronic Officers' Union (REOU) in 1967. Representation for ships' engineers began in the late 19th century, and two unions came together to form the Marine Engineers’ Association (MEA) in 1899. The Navigating & Engineer Officers' Union (NEOU) was born in the mid-1930s and in 1956, following more than a decade of cooperation on issues of common concern, the MEA and the NEOU joined to form the Merchant Navy & Airline Officers' Association (MNAOA).

NUMAST to Nautilus International

The union was established in 1985, when the Merchant Navy and Airline Officers' Association merged with the Radio and Electronic Officers' Union and the Mercantile Marine Service Association. The union originally included aviation personnel, such as flight navigators and flight engineers, however these members were transferred to

BALPA The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) is the professional association and registered trade union for UK pilots. BALPA represents the views and interests of pilots, campaigning on contractual, legal and health issues affecting its m ...

, the airline pilots' union by 1990. On 2 October 2006, the union formed the Nautilus Federation with the Dutch

Federation of Maritime Workers The Federation of Maritime Workers ( nl, Federatie van Werknemers in de Zeevaart, FWZ) was a trade union representing sailors in the Netherlands. The union was founded in 1967, when the recently-founded General Association of Seafarers merged with ...

(FWZ), and changed its name to Nautilus UK. FWZ became Nautilus NL at the same time. In 2008, members of Nautilus UK and Nautilus NL voted overwhelmingly in favour of proposals to create a new single trans-boundary union for maritime professionals, the two merging into

Nautilus International Nautilus International is an international trade union and professional association representing seafarers and allied workers, which is based in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Organisation The union's head office is in Lond ...

on 15 May 2009.

General Secretaries

:1985: Eric Nevin :1988: John Newman :1993: Brian Orrell

References

{{Authority control Maritime officers' trade unions International Transport Workers' Federation Transport trade unions in the United Kingdom Trade unions in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1985 Trade unions disestablished in 2009 Trade unions based in London Trade unions affiliated with the Trades Union Congress