Dickinson joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 16, completing a cadetship, then became a navigating officer before leaving to attend university.
After graduating, he worked for the UK Chamber of Shipping, then joined the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF).
[1][2][3] Dickinson moved to work for the National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers (NUMAST) in 2000, in which role he was central to setting up the Maritime Labour Convention.
In 2009, NUMAST merged to form Nautilus International, and Dickinson was elected as its first general secretary.
On election, he noted that he was the first member of his union to hold the post, and the first seafarer since Tom Yates in 1958.