Radio Officers salaries
 

Does anyone recall the salary scales for Radio Officers back in the 70’s and early 80’s?
I have a vague recollection of joining IMRC back in 1971 as a Junior on £200 a month - but may be wrong. I know that when I got the job my Dad said that he thought I was ‘on a fortune “ and my time at college was well worth it!
In 1981 Three Quays Marine Services were paying about £8000 a year plus a London weighting allowance which again by recollection was a big drop from the then seagoing salary.
It would be nice to get some accuracy rather than relying on memory.

I have it fixed in my mind that my Junior's salary was 80 something in 1971. Maybe I wasn't smart enough for IMR but I am sure I was not GBP 120 something less smart.

I started with MIMCO in 1966 and the salary on the first ship, shell tanker Donax,as 2nd R/O was £48pm.
Not great even then.

David - I think you are more accurate than I - £100 in 1971 was the equivalent of £1250 today so that makes good sense. Maybe IMRC were paying £100 a month
Remember my Dad asking me to make sure my mother had £5 a month :)

Martin
Just found another site on web and the guy has published his job offer from Niarchos in 1960. The guy had a 1st Class PMG and they offered him £70 plus a voyage bonus for service on tankers. No wonder guys went freelance!

I joined Marconi in 1970 clutching my freshly gained PMG 2nd Class and BOT Radar in my hand to find I was on the same money I'd been as an Engine Room Rating (admittedly including overtime) some three years before. As I remember it about £60.00 per month. I got a little more upon joining Kelvin Hughes for a couple of years, then free-lancing in 1974 got £16 per day purely to save up enough money to go for the MED and MRGC.

I don't know that I'd recommend free-lancing in some respects though, I had some difficulty getting paid ... had to call in the REOU who proved my saviours. Then in 1975, and stony broke despite clutching my MRGC and MED I found myself re-joining Marconi in desperation.

Only when I went direct employ with CP Ships in 1976 did the salary get realistic.

The National Maritime Board (NMB) negotiated pay and conditions of employment for all ranks and ratings in the British Merchant Navy and comprised representatives from shipowners and shipping unions. The radio companies paid Radio Officers the minimum rate agreed between the ROU and the employers' representatives at the NMB - known as the NMB rate which was published for all to see. The charges that the radio companies made on the shipowner for each R/O supplied were directly linked to the NMB rate. Few companies were willing to pay the radio companies more than was warranted by their costs per R/O under NMB rates. If the R/O was paid more than the NMB rate, the increase would have come from the radio companies' margins.

My memory is that a Pound was worth about $2.80 USD in 1971. 200 Pounds a month would be $560 in the US, which shocks me. I was earning about that much (age 18) working in a fish cannery in 1971, not counting overtime.
Norwegian R/Os were getting about $900 a month then, as I recall, and US R/Os needed an armored truck for their pay.

I had a look though a very old CV I have from the 80s and these were my yearly pay scales
1974 MOD Mechanical fitter £2,000
1984 Denholms 3/E £10,000
1985 Swecal 2/E £14,000
1986 Blandford Drilling 2/E £24,000
Going into the drilling industry was a no brainer for me.

Hi Ron,
Can you recall what they were paying back then?

I remember my initial pay with MIMCO in 1964 was £28pm. It did rise quite quickly to around £38pm.
When I left in 1966 it was around £78pm. Freelance initial pay £125pm and after some negotiation £145. Believe that was what Niarchos was paying at that time.

Neville

My first weekly wage as a Mechanical Fitter Apprentice at the Royal Ordinance Factory in Bishopton, September 1969 was £4 18s 6d left January 1974 with a basic wage of £23-03p although with bonus's it was really about £35 to 40. Joined Denholms as a J/E can't remember what the salary was, around £200 I think.

Hi Neville, I think you may have that wrong. I joined MIMCO in February 1962 and have never forgotten that my pay was £38-17-6 pm. After the 6 months junior time it went up to around £42 pm.
Jim

I joined Mimco in August 1958 and my original salary was £28 per month, by September '58 it had risen to the princely sum of £32 per month.

Jim,

I did wonder when I posted if my memory was correct.
Looks like I was some years out back to Vikingmans era. My only excuse is its 57 years ago!
Funny I have memorabilia from back then but no old pay slips.

Neville

Don’t know what RO got but I do know that in 1972 I was 3M with Hall Bros on £129 PM and thought that was a fortune !