CalMac sell-off voted down

F OLLOWING a vigorous campaign by RMT and the Scottish TUC Scottish members of parliament earlier this month rejected plans by the Scottish Executive to privatise Caledonian MacBrayne’s lifeline ferry services. Minister for Transport Nicol Stephens had linked additional funding for ferry services in Scotland to the endorsement of the Executive’s view that the only option was to put the services out to tender. This proved to be a step too far, the Tories, the SNP, the SSP and the Green Party all united to oppose the Executive. Once you add to that the unexpectedly large number of Labour abstentions, the Executive suffered a rare defeat. Last month RMT made a number of visits to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, along with the other unions representing the workers employed on Caledonian MacBrayne, to meet with Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and with the Transport Minister. With the full backing of the STUC, the RMT told the Scottish Executive that the tendering of CalMac and the fragmentation of this publicly- owned service was completely unnecessary and a threat to lifeline services, its workforce and the communities they serve. Opposition Despite widespread opposition, the Scottish Executive had announced in June their intention to go ahead with the tendering process. Since 1999, the Scottish Executive has claimed that they are being forced into the tendering process by European Union rules. RMT general secretary Bob Crow warned that all the evidence and experience indicated that the tendering process will burden a good- value service with unnecessary cost and fragmentation, as well as diverting taxpayers money into private operators’ pockets. “Tendering also threatens the jobs of CalMac workers – half of whom live in the very communities that these services are supposed to serve – and that would undermine the fragile island economies,” he said. The efforts of RMT, including the local shipping grade members, and the work of the STUC are making a difference. All other options must be explored for these lifeline services. The Transport Minister headed straight to Brussels for further discussions with the European Commissioner, and whilst the result of that meeting is not known yet, there is still much work to be done in the joint union campaign. Altmark The Executive has chosen to ignore the Altmark judgement, which has cast a major doubt on the need to proceed with tendering of these essential lifeline services. The European Court of IRISH Ferries closed its routes to Britain and began laying off around 1,000 workers earlier this month after Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) launched indefinite strike action. OVER 1,000 Irish Ferries workers had already taken 24- hour strike action in early December and marched on parliament against company plans to sack 150 workers on its French routes and outsource the jobs to cheap, non- unionised foreign agency labour. SIPTU demanded that the company reverse plans and SIPTU branch secretary Paul Smyth slammed Irish Ferries for refusing to negotiate with the union and seeking to exploit foreign workers on short-term contracts. Parent company Irish Continental Group claimed that the stoppage was illegal because it had been called before any mediation by the government-appointed Labour Relations Commission, created under the government’s “social partnership” agenda. Irish ferry workers strike to stop redundancies Scottish parliament vote down CalMac privatisation MSPs reject Scottish Executive’s request to back the sell-off Irish ferries closed its routes to Britain after members of the SIPTU union called for action to prevent jobs being outsourced. RMT news – Shipping 16 Justice recently considered the case of Altmark Trans, a German Bus Company, and decided that it was not unlawful for the German city of Stendal to renew 18 licenses for the company without a tendering process. The Court stated that it was not unlawful for payments to be made to companies providing essential services and they should not always be seen as state aid, as long as the services being provided were clearly defined. Whilst the Scottish Executive is now arguing that it is the maritime cabotage regulations that require a tendering process, the RMT disputes this. A strong argument must be put for state support for our lifeline ferry services. What is wrong with the Scottish Executive putting the island communities and workers first, and testing that out at a European level? RMT shipping secretary Steve Todd pointed out that Ministers had made no convincing case why CalMac should be split up and prepared for privatisation. “Rather than rushing to embrace this process, the Executive should be looking to find ways protecting CalMac from it, and if necessary mounting a legal challenge to it,” Steve said. Campaigning The STUC continues to work alongside RMT to co-ordinate a number of activities in the ongoing campaign. RMT parliamentary co-ordinator in Scotland Ann Henderson is also securing support from Scottish politicians in conjunction with the STUC. Contacts are also being made with the European Parliament and the union is writing to the European Commission and Scottish MEPs. The final consultation document on the service was published on the day that the Executive lost the vote and there is a job to do in ensuring maximum input to that consultation. A lobby of the Scottish Parliament is planned for February to keep up the pressure. All members will be encouraged to write to their MSPs personally on the matter. ROYAL Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Grey Rover returned home last month following an eight-month deployment that has taken her all around the Far East, with port visits in China, Russia, the Phillipines, Japan, Brunei, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. The RFA tanker has been accompanying the destroyer HMS Exeter on two major international exercises, and a programme of diplomatic visits. When she returned she had sailed around 32,600 miles on deployment, carried out 32 replenishment-at-sea (RAS) exercises, and provided ships at sea with almost 7,000 cubic metres of fuel. The ship visited three Chinese ports: Hong Kong, Shanghai, involving a trip up the crowded River Yangtze, and Qindao, home base of the People’s Liberation Army (Navy). It was also a stepping-off point for the ship’s company to visit Beijing and visit the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. The Russian visit was to Vladivostok, home to Russia’s Eastern Pacific Fleet, and the terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway, which originates in Moscow, 6,000 miles to the west. RFA tanker Grey Rover returns after epic voyage REFUELING: RFA Grey Rover refuelling Singapore Navy corvette Victory off the Malaysian island of Palau Tioman. RMT news – Shipping FOLLOWING votes for strike action in ballots at P&O Hull and Portsmouth, the threat of compulsory redundancies has been lifted. However, in Dover, where members voted for action short of strike action, over 600 jobs still remain under threat but the RMT port committee are in discussions to agree new terms and conditions. In Hull there will now be no compulsory job losses and the savage planned cuts to pay and conditions have now been substantially reduced following intense negotiations over the past few weeks. In Portsmouth the situation has been complicated by the fact that the Office of Fair Trading has decided to investigate the transfer of ferries on the Le Havre route to Brittany Ferries. National shipping secretary Steve Todd described the move as an “absolute disgrace” that will hold up any transfer for months as the OFT is not expected to report until next May. “The transfer would have saved 350 jobs but now members are caught in the crossfire between P&O and the OFT. “The government must intervene to save these jobs,” he said. Over 1,000 RMT members at P&O Ferries in Dover, Hull and Portsmouth voted for some form industrial action against job losses and attacks on pay and working conditions. RMT has written to the union’s parliamentary group to hold a meeting to brief MPs about situation. P&O step back over job cuts 17 RMT shipping secretary Steve Todd