Royal Fleet Auxiliary Pay Rise Brings Higher Wages and More Leave

Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel covered by the accepted pay agreement are due to receive:

• A 4.5% pay rise from 1 April 2025
• A further 3.6% pay rise from 1 April 2026
• A £250 one-off payment
• Improved leave arrangements for time spent at sea
• A one-off arrangement allowing eligible personnel to sell back leave

Because the two percentage increases apply consecutively, their combined effect is approximately 8.26%, rather than 8.1%, where the second increase is applied to the already increased salary.

The RMT union has also described the agreement as delivering the equivalent of 13 additional days of leave each year.

However, the settlement should be viewed as a meaningful short-term improvement rather than a complete solution to the RFA’s workforce problems.

Personnel shortages, training capacity, sea-time requirements and competition from commercial shipping remain significant challenges.

Individual payments, arrears and leave entitlements may differ depending on grade, salary, employment dates and the detailed implementation of the settlement.

How Does the New Royal Fleet Auxiliary Pay Rise Work?

The settlement covers two separate pay periods.

The 4.5% Rise From April 2025

The first increase is 4.5% and is effective from 1 April 2025. As the agreement was announced in July 2026, this element is retrospective.

That means eligible personnel may be due arrears covering the difference between their previous rate and the revised rate from April 2025.

However, the public announcement does not confirm when arrears will reach employees’ payslips or provide a grade-by-grade payment schedule.

The 3.6% Rise From April 2026

A second increase of 3.6% is effective from 1 April 2026. Where it is applied to pay that has already risen by 4.5%, the combined increase is approximately 8.26%.

The calculation is:

1.045 × 1.036 = 1.08262

This represents a total increase of approximately 8.262% compared with the salary before the April 2025 rise.

The agreement also sits within a wider Ministry of Defence programme intended to improve recruitment, retention and workforce conditions. The Government described the wider uplift as a third consecutive above-inflation pay rise, worth a cumulative 14.1% since July 2024.

How Much Could the RFA Pay Increase Be Worth?

The following examples show how the two percentage increases could affect different annual basic salaries.

These are illustrations only. They assume both increases are applied consecutively to the same basic salary and do not account for allowances, overtime, promotions, pension contributions, tax, National Insurance or other deductions.

Original annual salary	After 4.5% increase	After further 3.6%	Total annual increase
£30,000	£31,350	£32,478.60	£2,478.60
£35,000	£36,575	£37,891.70	£2,891.70
£40,000	£41,800	£43,304.80	£3,304.80
£45,000	£47,025	£48,717.90	£3,717.90
£50,000	£52,250	£54,131	£4,131

For example, an employee whose relevant annual basic salary was £40,000 before the first increase could see that salary rise to £41,800 from April 2025 and then to approximately £43,304.80 from April 2026.

Actual arrears cannot be calculated accurately without knowing the employee’s pay grade, qualifying dates, allowances, previous payments and the implementation instructions issued by the RFA.

Who Is Eligible for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Pay Deal?

The Ministry of Defence announcement states that the agreement applies to Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel and was accepted by RFA seafarers represented by maritime trade unions. Both RMT and Nautilus confirmed acceptance of the offer.

However, the public statement does not contain a detailed eligibility schedule covering every grade, contract type or employment circumstance.

Serving personnel should therefore check:

• Their official RFA pay communication
• The relevant pay circular or collective agreement
• Their payslip and arrears calculation
• Guidance from their union or payroll contact

Employees who joined or left during the backdated period may have different entitlements. The same may apply to personnel who changed grade, working arrangements or contractual status after 1 April 2025.

What Leave Improvements Are Included?

The agreement is not limited to basic pay. It also changes leave arrangements to recognise the extended periods that RFA personnel can spend at sea.

The Government confirmed that personnel will be able to earn more time off for periods spent at sea.

It also announced a one-off leave buy-back arrangement, under which eligible personnel may be able to receive payment for qualifying leave rather than taking it as time off.

RMT described the settlement as providing the equivalent of around 13 additional days of leave per year, alongside consolidated payments.

That figure becomes more meaningful when compared with commercial shipping. Many commercial maritime employers operate one-for-one rotations, under which every day spent at sea earns one day at home.

The RFA improvement moves its leave arrangements closer to that commercial model, but it does not fully match it. Commercial operators can therefore continue to offer experienced seafarers greater certainty about rotations and family time.

A serving RFA member cited by Navy Lookout reportedly expressed the view that recruitment would remain difficult until the service offered a standard one-for-one leave ratio.

This is an individual perspective rather than an official workforce assessment, but it reflects the broader importance of predictable time away from ships.

The exact leave calculation, qualifying service and buy-back process should be checked against the final agreement. The public Government announcement does not set out the full operational rules.

What Is the £250 One-Off Payment?

The package includes a separate one-off payment of £250. This is distinct from the percentage increases to basic pay.

A one-off payment would not normally be treated as a continuing annual salary increase unless the final agreement specifically states that it is consolidated into basic pay.

The Government describes the £250 as a one-off payment, so employees should not assume that it will be repeated in future years.

Its take-home value may also be lower than £250 if normal payroll deductions apply. The public announcement does not provide separate tax or pension treatment for the payment.

Why Was a New RFA Pay Agreement Needed?

The agreement followed an extended period of disagreement between the RFA, the Government and maritime trade unions over pay, leave and working conditions.

RMT members rejected an earlier 4.5% offer, and industrial action took place during the dispute. The final package added a second pay increase, improved voyage leave, a £250 payment and a temporary leave buy-back arrangement.

RMT announced on 15 July 2026 that its members had voted to accept the negotiated settlement, describing it as a combined 8.26% increase with improved leave. The Government announced the agreement publicly on 28 July 2026.

The settlement ended the immediate pay dispute, but it did not remove every concern about staffing, rotations, training and long-term pay arrangements.

How Did the RFA Dispute Develop?

Period	What happened
2024	A major dispute developed over RFA pay and conditions, leading to industrial action
January 2025	A landmark agreement ended the earlier dispute and created a basis for further negotiations
2025/26 award	A new disagreement emerged over the subsequent pay and conditions settlement
Early 2026	RMT members rejected the initial 4.5% offer
15 July 2026	RMT confirmed that members had accepted the improved package
28 July 2026	The Ministry of Defence formally announced the agreement
After the agreement	Unions and the RFA are expected to continue discussions about leave and longer-term pay modernisation

The Government said the agreement should support recruitment and retention and help the organisation prepare for future operational demands.

Both unions have nevertheless agreed to continue working with the RFA on further modernisation.

This includes examining possible increases in leave entitlements and developing pay arrangements that better reflect the distinctive nature of seagoing RFA service.

Has the Pay Deal Solved the RFA Personnel Crisis?

The pay settlement provides some breathing space, but available evidence suggests that it has not solved the RFA’s wider personnel problems.

Navy Lookout’s analysis of the RFA settlement reports that the service has around 1,750 personnel. It also reports that voluntary outflow fell from approximately 15% at the start of 2025 to below 10% at the start of 2026.

A reduction in voluntary departures is encouraging because it suggests that fewer experienced personnel are choosing to leave.

However, a lower outflow rate does not automatically mean that the RFA has enough qualified personnel to crew every required ship.

There are reported shortages across several grades, particularly where specialist qualifications and years of practical experience are needed.

Marine engineers, deck officers and specialist ratings cannot be replaced immediately when experienced personnel leave.

The agreement may therefore help slow further losses and improve morale, but rebuilding the service’s depth of experience is likely to take much longer.

Why Is Training Now a Major RFA Bottleneck?

The RFA is reportedly attracting more applicants than it has for several years. The central problem is that attracting applicants is not the same as producing qualified, deployable seafarers.

Personnel pursuing certain roles must gain practical experience at sea before achieving the necessary Maritime and Coastguard Agency qualifications. Cadets and apprentices need:

• Places aboard operational vessels
• Sufficient qualifying sea time
• Experienced officers and ratings to supervise them
• Access to the correct training activities
• Available places at shore-based training establishments
• Time to complete professional and safety qualifications

According to Navy Lookout, recruitment into some grades has had to be paused because trainees already in the system cannot progress quickly enough. The limiting factor is often the availability of suitable sea time.

This creates a difficult cycle. The RFA lacks enough qualified personnel to crew its complete fleet comfortably, but it also lacks enough fully operational ships and training berths to develop the next generation of qualified personnel.

Recruiting additional applicants without increasing training capacity could enlarge the queue without creating more deployable crews.

Why Could RFA Fort Victoria Become an Important Training Asset?

RFA Fort Victoria provides a practical example of the relationship between ships, training and future crewing requirements.

The vessel is scheduled to begin a refit in September 2026, with a possible return to service during 2027 if a suitable crew can be assembled.

Although Fort Victoria is normally discussed as an operational replenishment vessel, one of the strongest arguments for returning it to service is its potential value as a training platform.

A large replenishment ship can provide accommodation, engineering departments, experienced supervisors and space for significant numbers of trainees.

It could also help regenerate specialist solid replenishment-at-sea skills, including experience with heavy jackstay transfers.

Those skills will be needed for the future Fleet Solid Support Ships. Hundreds of trained seafarers cannot be produced immediately when the new vessels enter service; they need qualifying sea experience in advance.

Even if Fort Victoria did not return to regular global deployments, it could still contribute by producing suitably qualified and experienced personnel for the next generation of support ships.

Its planned regeneration is not guaranteed. A refit, sufficient funding, an available crew and successful training arrangements would all be required before the vessel could deliver that role.

What Are Serving and Former Personnel Saying About the Deal?

Comments published beneath the Navy Lookout analysis provide additional context about how some serving and former personnel view the settlement.

These comments are anecdotal, may be anonymous and have not been independently verified, so they should not be treated as official evidence.

Nevertheless, several recurring themes are worth noting.

Recruitment Delays and Administrative Friction

Some commenters described lengthy recruitment processes, qualification checks, security vetting and difficulties moving experienced commercial or former Royal Navy personnel into RFA roles.

There was disagreement over who was responsible.

Some commenters blamed outsourced recruitment arrangements involving companies such as Capita or Serco, while another stated that RFA recruitment is managed by a small in-house team after initial contact through Royal Navy recruitment channels.

The common concern was not necessarily who manages the process, but that lengthy checks, limited training places and administrative delays may cause qualified applicants to withdraw.

Quality of Life Aboard Ships

Commenters also raised concerns about practical living conditions, including:

• Limited access to fridges in individual cabins
• Inconsistent Wi-Fi or mobile phone reception
• Limited entertainment and television access
• Concerns about food choice or food supply
• The effect of long appointments on family life

These claims are personal accounts rather than confirmed conditions across the whole fleet. However, they illustrate why workforce retention cannot be examined through salary figures alone.

For personnel spending extended periods away from home, communication with family, reliable internet access, food standards, privacy and predictable relief dates can all affect whether a role remains attractive.

Scepticism About Pay as a Complete Solution

The overall response was not necessarily opposition to the settlement. Instead, some personnel appeared to regard it as the best achievable package for the present rather than a final resolution.

The leave improvement was generally treated as progress, but the continuing gap between RFA leave and one-for-one commercial rotations remained a major concern.

Debate Over the RFA’s Future Structure

Some comments also suggested merging the RFA more closely with the Royal Navy. This remains a matter of individual opinion and debate, not an announced Government policy.

Any such change would raise complex questions about civilian employment status, military obligations, contracts, pensions, pay, industrial relations and the operational identity of the RFA.

What Does the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Do?

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the Ministry of Defence. It supports Royal Navy ships around the world by supplying fuel, ammunition, food and other essential provisions.

Although RFA personnel work closely with the Royal Navy and operate in support of defence missions, they are civilian seafarers rather than regular Royal Navy personnel.

RFA vessels allow Royal Navy and allied ships to remain deployed for longer by replenishing them at sea. The fleet’s responsibilities include logistical support, aviation support, amphibious operations and the delivery of essential stores.

The pay announcement followed a ministerial visit to RFA Tidespring and RFA Mounts Bay at Portland Port.

RFA Tidespring is a Tide-class tanker that supports aircraft carrier operations, while RFA Mounts Bay supports amphibious operations and the movement of Royal Marines and supplies.

Why Does the Pay Deal Matter for Future Defence Operations?

The RFA will have an important role in crewing the next generation of Fleet Solid Support Ships.

These vessels are being developed to provide munitions, stores and provisions to Royal Navy aircraft carriers, frigates and destroyers while they are at sea. The first ship in the class is named RFA Resurgent.

Recruiting and retaining experienced civilian seafarers will therefore be essential. A new ship cannot deliver its intended operational capability without sufficient qualified deck officers, engineers, communications specialists, logisticians and other crew members.

The three Fleet Solid Support Ships will require hundreds of trained personnel. Those employees must gain qualifications and practical experience before the ships are ready, meaning that the workforce pipeline has to be developed years in advance.

The current challenge involves three connected shortages:

1. Too few qualified people to crew all the vessels that may be required
2. Too few operational ships and berths to provide sufficient trainee sea time
3. Insufficient training capacity to turn applicants into experienced personnel quickly

The pay agreement may prevent that cycle from becoming worse, but pay alone cannot break it.

Leave, training berths, operational ship availability, career progression and retention of experienced supervisors will all influence whether the RFA can crew its future fleet.

What Can UK Employers Learn From the Agreement?

Although the RFA operates in a specialist defence environment, the agreement highlights several broader workforce principles relevant to UK employers.

Pay Is Only Part of the Employment Package

The settlement combines salary increases with additional leave and a leave buy-back option. Employers experiencing retention problems may need to consider the complete employee proposition rather than relying solely on headline salary levels.

Working conditions, time away from home, communication facilities, accommodation and predictability can matter as much as basic pay.

Working Patterns Affect Retention

For roles involving travel, unsociable hours or extended periods away from home, predictable leave and recovery time may be as important as salary.

An employer may offer competitive pay but still lose experienced workers if rival organisations provide more reliable rotations or greater certainty for family life.

Recruitment Numbers Do Not Equal Productive Capacity

A large number of applicants does not automatically solve a skills shortage.

Employers must have enough trainers, supervisors, placements, equipment and operational capacity to turn recruits into competent employees. Expanding recruitment without expanding training can simply create a bottleneck.

Recruitment Processes Can Lose Good Candidates

Slow vetting, repeated qualification checks, unclear communication and limited training dates can discourage otherwise suitable applicants.

Businesses should measure how many candidates withdraw during recruitment, how long each stage takes and whether experienced applicants are being asked to repeat unnecessary assessments.

Backdated Pay Requires Careful Administration

Employers implementing retrospective increases need accurate payroll records. Calculations may need to account for employees who joined, left, changed hours, received promotions or moved between pay grades during the backdated period.

Retaining Experience Is Different From Recruiting Beginners

A trainee may take years to gain the knowledge and qualifications held by an experienced employee.

Where organisations rely on specialist skills, retention planning should identify which employees would be particularly difficult to replace and what working conditions are influencing their decisions.

Conclusion

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary pay agreement delivers meaningful increases in pay and leave, including two backdated rises, a £250 payment and around 13 additional leave days.

However, it offers breathing space rather than a complete workforce solution. Persistent shortages, limited training berths, qualification requirements and competition from commercial shipping remain major concerns.

Long-term recovery will depend on better rotations, faster recruitment, greater training capacity and retaining experienced seafarers capable of crewing the present fleet and future Fleet Solid Support Ships.

 Frequently Asked Questions

When Does the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Pay Rise Start?

The first 4.5% increase is effective from 1 April 2025. The second 3.6% increase is effective from 1 April 2026.

Is the RFA Pay Rise Backdated?

Yes. Both effective dates fall before the Government’s announcement on 28 July 2026, so the increases are retrospective. The timing and value of arrears will depend on payroll implementation and individual employment records.

How Much Is the Total RFA Pay Increase?

Where the two increases are applied consecutively, the combined effect is approximately 8.26%. RMT also described the settlement as a combined 8.26% increase.

Will RFA Personnel Receive a £250 Payment?

The accepted package includes a £250 one-off payment. The Government has not published a payment date in its announcement.

How Much Additional Leave Will RFA Seafarers Receive?

The Government confirmed that personnel will earn more time off for periods spent at sea. RMT described the improvement as equivalent to around 13 additional days per year. Exact entitlements should be checked against the final agreement.

Does the RFA Deal Provide One-for-One Leave?

No. The agreement moves RFA leave arrangements closer to commercial maritime practice, but it reportedly remains below the one-for-one rotations commonly offered by some commercial shipping employers.

Can RFA Personnel Sell Unused Leave?

The package includes a one-off leave buy-back arrangement. Eligibility, limits and the application process have not been fully explained in the public Government announcement.

Did RMT and Nautilus Accept the Pay Offer?

Yes. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that both RMT and Nautilus had accepted the offer on behalf of RFA seafarers.

Has the Pay Deal Solved the RFA Staffing Crisis?

No definitive evidence shows that the staffing crisis has been solved. Reported voluntary outflow has fallen, but shortages of qualified personnel, limited training capacity and insufficient sea-time opportunities remain.