ORGANISING IN OBAN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/aug 2025 :: RMTnews 9 Oban is a major port for Caledonian MacBrayne ferries and incoming RMT branch secretary Michael McCloud opened his first meeting in the post by welcoming general secretary Eddie Dempsey. Eddie welcomed the fact that ferry services will remain public hands and CalMac will continue to run the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Service (CHFS) after the Scottish government extended the contract for another ten years. He said that it was a major victory for the union. “It is clear Scotland’s lifeline ferry networks must be publicly owned to protect jobs, services and public subsidy from private profit. “These services are not just transport links, they are lifelines, essential for maintaining the flow of goods, supporting tourism, local businesses and providing access to vital public services,” he said. RMT regional organiser Gordon Martin said that as a publicly owned operator, Cal Mac had demonstrated a long-standing commitment to reinvesting in services and supporting local employment. “This is reflected in CalMac’s apprenticeship programme which recently took in 20 new apprentices, an important investment in the future of Scotland’s maritime workforce. “A direct award to CalMac is the best way to ensure that these jobs and others are protected and that the necessary improvements to services, vessels and harbours are made without compromising service quality or workers’ terms and conditions,” he said. He pointed out that the union was calling for a summit involving passenger groups, trade unions, local businesses, and government to ensure that the future of Scotland’s ferry services was secured. There was an in-depth discussion about the best way to organise CalMac workers and Gordon Martin re-iterated the need to keep workers on vessels and shoreside staff in the same bargaining unit to ensure that no one was left behind. He said that work needed to be done to recruit shoreside workers to the union and address any issues they may have. The meeting identified a new shoreside RMT rep and a plan to organise these workers. RMT NEC member Davey Douglas, who works on Northlink ferries services operating out of Aberdeen, congratulated Michael McCloud on taking up the branch secretary post and offered his services to support him on behalf of the union. OBAN: seated Oban branch secretary Michael McCloud, Eddie Dempsey and Gordon Martin ORGANISING IN OBAN Union welcomes CalMac being awarded new contract to run west coast ferry services