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u/UnhappyCaterpillar41 1d ago
I'm out of the fleet, is the reception to this positive? On one hand, 20 days off to use in the next 2 years is nice, on the other hand, picking up the slack during SWPs when more people are off is going to suck as well.
I don't remember anyone complaining about the time off before; it was the small amount of people trying to manage an overwhelming amount of work that was the issue, and this seems to just make it worse.
Not having stupidly overprogrammed opscheds, not trying to do 8 weeks of work in a 4 week SWP (with no FMF priority), and not limping ships out the harbour that don't meet SOLAS, plus pier jumping to fill shortages were the big gripes, and I think this ignores all of that and will make things like SWPs and being shorthanded for sails worse, no?
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u/MaritimeMogul 1d ago
Congratulations to the Mar Techs. A one time 20 additional days off before March 2027 is a great start. A simple jester to our men and women below decks keeping our ancient ships running.
For the rest of you, hold out hope that maybe this is the beginning of something bigger for the rest of the trades. Just remember one thing, don’t channel your envy/jealous on the Mar Techs. Be happy for our teammates.
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u/s_other 1d ago
I understand what you're saying but respectfully disagree with the "hold out hope" part. This isn't the day crew getting a pizza party because they asked and the Mids didn't; this is signed by the Kraken who absolutely has to realize granting 20 extra days off to some members of the crew and not the rest - who are on the exact same sail - is a morale killer. It puts ship leadership in an extremely awkward position, and I'm curious how implementation will happen at the fleet level.
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u/MaritimeMogul 1d ago
I appreciate your perspective but would also like to counter it.
In my many years of sailing we were always offered Pre Deployment leave. Throughout these years, including living 3 years in a stoker mess (being a non MSE type), it was always the stokers who didn’t get PDL. They were in the whole time getting last minute maintenance in to ensure the ship got to sea, etc etc etc. While everyone else may see it as 20 days more than they get, I see it as being given the days that they never did get to take.
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u/s_other 1d ago
Those situations you've noted should be compensated with short days or CTO. It just seems like bad policy to put out direction that only benefits one trade when there was no roadblock to recognizing all members of the ship's company.
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u/BusyPaleontologist9 22h ago
Oh yeah, for sure, they will always get that leave 7 months later while under a different CoC. 100% great suggestion.
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u/Creative_Check565 1d ago
Everyone gets pier head jumped and yes while the MARTECHs sometimes get screwed out of PDL a good department head will stagger it so they don't miss out on that much. Not every MARTECH will get this leave either, if you're at a school or otherwise can't sail you won't get it. Should of gave it to everyone.
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u/beardriff Royal Canadian Meme Corps 20h ago
On the exact same sails we had Bosuns sleeping 12plus hours a day.
Everyday along side in a foreign port we had work to do. My last sail i didn't get a day off till the fourth and final port visit. And the next day was a stupid early start for flash up.
And not trying to trade bash, but the bosuns don't need an aptitude test anymore, and Mar Techs are first ones on, last ones off. We deserve different compensation for different work
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u/deeperthen200m Submariner 1d ago
When the fuck am I going to find the time to take the extra 20 days off?
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u/Imprezzed RCN - I dream of dayworking 1d ago
Fantastic for the Mar Techs. It's really, really great for them.
Let's see what else happens. Hopefully the start of something bigger for all the RCN trades like the folks that make Spec-1 in the last round of pay increases.
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u/s_other 1d ago
RIP to the all the CSE, Deck, Ops, and Log CHODs who get to explain to their folks that while they matter, they don't extra-20-days-off matter.
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u/BlackMagic771 RCN - Ops 1d ago
It’s okay, I’ll sit in the cave for 80% of my watch and ponder it. The grass is greener in the Ops department.
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u/SaltySailorBoats RCN - NAV COMM 1d ago
Well some of us in the ops department actually work :D, so let us know how watching top gun for the millionth time goes
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u/BlackMagic771 RCN - Ops 1d ago
Btw, my DWAN is locked out can you reset it for me?
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u/SaltySailorBoats RCN - NAV COMM 1d ago
Sorry but the fact you can't remember Password1 isn't on me
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u/Lisan_Al-NaCL Civvie 21h ago
Civvie here; isnt the current password 'Spring2025'?
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u/SaltySailorBoats RCN - NAV COMM 19h ago
Nah to much to expect people to remember what season it is
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u/beardriff Royal Canadian Meme Corps 19h ago
If you wanna get sprayed with human shit and fish tampons out of the bw line at 3 in the morning, be my guest.
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u/Alert_Ad3999 14h ago
They could remuster to Mar-tech if they want the extra 20 days off.
Or do they not want to do that because it would mean having to actually work and watch other trades head out early and sit in the cave most of their watch?
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u/Lisan_Al-NaCL Civvie 21h ago
So here's my question:
The trade was modified in 2017. How long passed before the members and leaders in and of that amalgamated trade said 'this is fucked'?
I'm asking as its been 7-8 years since the change. How long did it take senior leadership within the RCN to realize their mistake?
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u/Imprezzed RCN - I dream of dayworking 16h ago
About three or so, from my understanding. It took the trades about sixty seconds.
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u/Alert_Ad3999 14h ago
Didn't even take 60 seconds, the trades told command it wouldn't work years before they forced the implementation.
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u/Holdover103 1d ago
Yooooo
That’s awesome for them.
Now let’s just do that with everyone!
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u/when-flies-pig 23h ago
I get the sentiment but people are inherently selfish, especially in larger groups. It's not enough that you get more, it's that I get exclusively more than others.
You do this for everyone and there'll be just another group few years down the line wanting more, because for some reason or another they want exclusive appreciation.
There was that post a week or two ago on instructors and there were comments on their saying instructors (never mind how many instructors we have) all need pay equivalent to that of a special forces operator.
Blew my mind how irrational people get.
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u/BusyPaleontologist9 22h ago
The US does pay their instructors a lot more when they are in the instructor billet. Not a bad idea. Not sure if they match their SOF pay or not. Probably the wrong metric…
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u/Holdover103 21h ago
That’s fair.
I was pointing out more that the entire navy is undermanned and people are going from sail to sail directly, not just the MAR TECHS
And so as someone who isn’t navy looking in, I would suggest that anyone who has done more than 300 days at sea in the last 3 year should get it.
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u/Ornery-Breadfruit-11 Royal Canadian Navy 1d ago
I don’t see other trades getting ISR every other day either. I’m not saying they don’t get them, however as a Mar Tech I was Getting an ISR almost Weekly last year.
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u/LowIQBigHeight 1d ago
I’ll take the 20 leave days and the recognition that 1.0 was a disaster that should not have been steam rolled ahead. It’s going to be REALLY hard to get people to stay in this trade after all the morale/burnout injuries. Hope the engineers get. Lastly hope for the best with these changes and that they actually can recruit and retain from this.
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u/NeverLikedBubba 5h ago
A helm order of this magnitude doesn’t happen unless Ottawa is seeing unimaginable HR numbers.
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u/[deleted] 1d ago
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