RMT members to strike at CalMac over jobs, pay, pensions and privatisation
By Philip Stott.
RMT members who work for CalMac ferries have voted by a 90% majority to take industrial action over threats to pensions, jobs and working conditions. The action short of a strike begins on Wednesday 24 June and a 24-hour strike will take place from midnight on Thursday.
CalMac – a publicly owned company – are in competition with notorious private company Serco for the Hebrides and west coast island ferry contract, due for renewal in 2016. The RMT are demanding no compulsory redundancies and the same pension rights and terms and conditions as staff have now, regardless of who wins the new contract.
The threat that hangs over jobs and working conditions is linked to what is, effectively, the privatisation of the ferry service covering the entire west coast of Scotland. The SNP-led Scottish government have opened up the contract to tender, which they claim they have no choice but to do under European law. Serco were also given the ferry contrast for Orkney and Shetland recently which led to complaints by passengers, trade unions and communities after Serco raised fares, cut services and reduced crew levels to squeeze profits from passengers.
The Scottish Government also recently awarded Serco the Scotrail sleeper services with a £60million bonus for rolling stock.
It’s clear that the refusal by CalMac to agree to the union’s demands is linked to the tendering process. The SNP claim it’s not privatisation but they have refused to challenge the EU ruling over the privatisation of ferry services. Given that these are lifeline services this could easily have been done, even if it meant defying the EU rules.
Gordon Martin, Scottish organiser of the RMT, explained to us what was at stake in this dispute:
“RMT members are taking strike action in defence of hard won terms and conditions. We are not striking to get better pay or conditions, we are taking this action in defence of what we currently enjoy. The RMT are seeking written assurances on no compulsory redundancies or changes to staffing levels without agreement of the recognised trade unions and a written assurance there will be no changes to conditions of service without agreement with the recognised trade unions. We also seek assurances on pension protections and, again, these assurances have not been forthcoming.
The RMT wrote to CalMac on May 11th outlining our issues of dispute and incredibly the first date the company offered to meet us was 18th June. The whole tendering process is outrageous and we believe this current SNP Government should employ the position they adopted when in opposition and opposed the tendering process. They should make a coherent legal argument to Brussels regarding the lifeline nature of many of the routes covered by the Clyde and Hebridean Ferries Service.
CalMac are telling all and sundry they offered to write no compulsory redundancies into their bid. This is a welcome development. However, it means nothing if CalMac do not secure the contract.
Not for the first time we hear the Scottish Government profess fairness for workers and portray themselves as a left wing government. In reality they have consistently given public contracts to their privateer of choice, Serco. RMT and our members will not stand idly by and allow a race to the bottom and this initial stage of industrial action will be followed-up by more action if we do not receive the reasonable demands we have made on the company.”
