Garry Elliott, head of organising

Garry oversees all activities related to industrial servicing, membership, recruitment and training for members.

Biography 

Garry brings more than three decades of trade union experience to a role committed to promoting better jobs in the maritime industry. He spent 17 years with the Communications Workers Union before switching to Nautilus in 1999, then known as NUMAST.

Moving to a specialist trade union and professional organisation dedicated to maritime professional saw Garry returning to his roots. Born on a HM Naval base (Clyde), commonly known as Faslane, home to the core of submarine services where his father served in the Royal Navy and then spending his childhood on RN bases in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. 

Therefore, no surprise when Garry joined the Royal Navy briefly in 1979 as a weapons engineer.

During his time at Nautilus International Garry has seen the maritime profession change with technological, economic and political developments and predicts more changes as the industry heads towards the international seafarer shortages  expected by 2021.

Garry has led on a number of recruitment initiatives during his time at the Union, including expanding membership into Greenfield sites such as the yacht and offshore wind farm sector.

However what Garry sees as one of his major achievements was leading on maintaining "local labour" (UK and Irish) around the coast in a major ferry company. Negotiations taking in excess of 2 years to conclude from a desperate position of a change of nationality on vessels, redundancies and a significant cut to pay, terms and conditions: to a final position of securing all our members existing terms and employment. In effect protecting the past and present and fighting for the future of British seafarers.

Garry's other roles include:

• Unions 21
• GFTU Executive
• MNTB Board member
• Warlike operations board member
• International coordination forum