Monthly Archives: April 2013

Police resources now used to harangue shoppers out of the “ghost town” centre of Stornoway

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Crisis Stornoway Regeneration Meeting – Monday 29th April

Shoppers are being driven out of the town centre of Stornoway – not least by the lack of morning newspapers. All the central newspaper outlets report trade is down by at least 15% and the town centre is said to take on the atmosphere of “a ghost town” at times. Sadly, several businesses may fail soon.

Suspicion is mounting, despite the council and the airline’s strident denials, that newspaper flights were quickly axed by carrier Loganair in a tit-for-tat reaction to the comhairle’s recklessness in halting funding for some inter-island flights. Who can blame the airline? There was no proper consultation. It just wasn’t thought through by people who are well paid to think things through. The councillors failed to implement the savings that could be safely done without a lethal knock-on effect. Apparently, they had warnings on this one but we are not allowed to know the detail.

Now the regeneration group which is supposed to boost the town is inviting traders and others to a meeting to discuss the black future of a teetering town.  The crisis meeting – which, of course, will be officially denied as being anything of the kind – will be held in the Caladh Inn on Monday 29 April at 7.30pm. Someone has run out of ideas, a source says.

Councillor Angus McCormack, chairman of the group, announced: “We have sent invites to various businesses and other parties in the town centre.  However, the meeting is open to anybody with an interest in how to develop the future of Stornoway.

“We will introduce people to the work of the regeneration group but will also have a presentation from the Oban Business Improvement District and from Jane MacIver, chief executive of the Stornoway Port Authority.”

Oban, of course, has many fine attractions to draw people into the town – including morning newspapers and a customer-friendly parking policy.

Cllr McCormack’s proclamation was that the vision of the Stornoway Regeneration Group was “to enhance the viability and vibrancy of Stornoway town centre”.  It then blabbed on with a string of meaningless jargon-ridden phrases about “long-term outcomes to include an economically active and vibrant town centre” and “a unique and identifiably Hebridean sense of place”. Oh my God, what nonsense. It’s the same impenetrable, arrogant and self-inflating bilge they were coming out with 10 years ago  There was, of course, not one word about the how crazy policies made sure their promised Nirvana will never actually come to pass.

Tragically, as the councillor was trumpeting the Monday meeting, he seemed to have no space for an explanation of what was being done by anyone to restore morning newspapers to draw actual real live human beings back into our wretched, dying ghost town.

Of course Councillor McCormack’s failure to acknowledge the absence of newspapers as an important factor had nothing to do with the fact the council leader runs various shops that sell newspapers until late at night – well after the town centre shops have shut after selling papers for a mere two or three hours. Nothing at all to do with that. Just wanted to make that clear.

He also failed to mention that he and his colleagues have imposed a catastrophic new, aggressive car-parking strategy on Stornoway. The traffic warden is now forced to divert from the highway to patrol a council car park and issue draconian fines to those poor unwanted shoppers who dare to stay past their allotted time in Perceval Square. After 10 years pondering what to do, is this really Mr McCormack’s brilliant plan to make a shabby, crisis-hit town visitor-friendly? Dunno. We haven’t heard him speak out against this dreadful and unwarranted misuse of police resources, that’s for sure.

It’s probably yet another poorly-thought out move by comhairle bean-counters that, traders tell me, is helping kill off business in Stornoway. Being hounded out of the car park by a traffic warden – even though she is a very nice person – is already making sure most drivers avoid the town centre even more than before. They just go home to the internet. You know what – I’m beginning to suspect that may be what certain dodgy people secretly really want.

We’re all in it together, maybe. But some of them are in it for themselves. There is nothing surer. Well done to all of us who voted them back in.

Government’s own shocking report finally shows shameful axing of commercial RET is killing these islands

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For months the SNP have been dilly-dallying about releasing the report they commissioned about the impact of axing commercial RET. Now it’s out and it is a shocker.

JUST LOOK LOOK AT WHAT THIS TRANSPORT SCOTLAND REPORT, COMMISSIONED BY THE SNP GOVERNMENT, SAYS:

“8:3:10 The direct impacts of this long-term loss of competitiveness due to the removal of RET, if it results in higher transport charges, are clear. The most notable immediate economic impacts will be:
* a reduction in profitability; followed by; and
* reduced salaries and employment and therefore local disposable income.

8.3.11 In the longer term this will feed through to:
* business closures or off-island relocation, with consequent losses in employment; and
* reduction in headcount, as firms attempt to adapt to new market realities.

8.3.12 Given the importance of transport charges for the competitiveness of key industries in the islands, such as primary and retail sectors, the impact of higher charges could have an important bearing on the short, medium and long-term performance of the economy.”

It clearly confirms that the number of commercials using the services are down and – because they are paying a lot more since April last year – the revenue is up.

Hmm. Not quite the “support” for our communities the SNP actually promised. And they are putting fares up AGAIN.

It finds: “The evidence suggests therefore that transport charges remained constant during a period when haulage costs rose by 16%. Indeed, with general inflation also rising in this period by around 12%, businesses actually saw a real terms reduction in transport
charges between 2008 and 2012.” So the SNP government-commissioned report also finds that hauliers did not pocket the savings from RET – as certain local people continuously and erroneously claimed.

Gail Robertson, co-ordinator of the Outer Hebrides Commerce Group said: ”We are pleased that after months of delay the Transport Minister has finally published this study. It is an instructive document that clearly shows the devastating, negative impact the removal of cheaper fares are having on island families and businesses. We can appreciate why Mr Keith Brown MSP, Minister was reluctant to publish this document; it nails and dispels many assertions that were untrue.

“We do hope that all elected politicians take time to read it. For some, this report should give cause to hang their heads in shame, for others, we hope it encourages them to keep campaigning until the Scottish Government puts an equitable ferry fares system in place. We will be issuing a further, detailed response next week”.

Meanwhile, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has welcomed the publication of an independent study into the impact of the removal of RET for Commercial Vehicles to Island areas. The purpose of the study, by MVA Consultancy and commissioned by the Scottish Government, was to consider the impact of the removal of RET fares in April 2012 on the economies of the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree. The study confirms the Comhairle’s view that the removal of RET for commercial vehicles has had a detrimental impact on the economy of the Outer Hebrides.The study also confirms that hauliers did pass on the savings from RET to consumers and that since the removal of RET, prices have increased.

Angus Campbell, Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said: “The findings of this independent study are absolutely unequivocable. The Scottish Government now has the evidence that RET was working as planned and that there were real, substantial benefits to the fragile economies of Island areas. The removal of RET for Commercial vehicles has been damaging for the economies of the Islands, particularly smaller Islands such as Barra, Benbecula and the Uists, and has been detrimental for consumers who have faced increased prices as a result. I call on the Scottish Government, as a matter of urgency, to take the sensible course of action and reinstate RET in full, including for commercial vehicles.”

Alasdair Allan MSP, said: “I welcome the fact that the Government has carried out this independent research into what has been a contentious debate. The report identifies that the Scottish Government is spending a third of a billion pounds on supporting Scotland’s ferry services over the financial years 2012/13 and 2013/14. This is at a time when Scotland’s budget is, of course, being cut by the UK Government.“This financial support continues to include the provision of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) fares for all cars, vans and foot passengers in the Western Isles, and increasingly on other routes too. A number of companies in the islands made clear their disappointment that the initial additional provision of RET for larger commercial vehicles in the islands has been discontinued. This has led to a series of talks with Government and concessions being sought and obtained.

“I certainly don’t want to understate the disappointment felt by a number of these companies, although it should be said that this year’s lorry fares are still less than the last pre-RET fares. In talks with the Government, we managed to obtain a number of important concessions, including the extension of the five metre rule on small commercial vehicles to six metres, an undertaking to introduce RET for cars and vans on the Sound of Harris and Sound of Barra routes by 2016, and concessions for the exporters of live shellfish. A scheme of transitional relief means that this year’s increases for lorries were capped at 10%.

“For me, the real unresolved issue, which the report highlights, is the need to find a system of charging ferry fares for large commercial vehicles that is equitable across both small and large companies, and which is consistent across the whole ferries network. I hope the Government will now consider the consistent message of a number of small companies that we should not go back to a system of bulk discount which penalises smaller operators. I have written to the Transport Minister to ask how he intends to ensure this outcome.”

Angus Macneil MP added: “I campaigned and argued against the rise when it came initially. It is a shame that when the cut came to RET initially, that those who were benefiting from it didn’t clearly signal that they were cutting haulage prices as a result, which has enabled an unfortunate ambiguity to arise.

“I think it is now important that firstly, no further increases go on lorries and secondly, that when funds become available, in other words, when the Westminster government stops cutting Scotland’s budget, that the Scottish Government lowers lorry fares.

“We must remember that for the vast majority of people, RET exists for cars and passengers and it will be extended to the Sounds of Harris and Barra during the term of this Scottish Parliament. Also, lorry fares are cheaper than they would have been had the RET trial not gone ahead and all hauliers are on a level playing field with discounts having been standardised.“

The comhairle listed the report findings as follows:

Findings
5. The introduction of RET for CVs made an important contribution to the initial equity objective of supporting, sustaining and developing the economies of the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree.

6. The introduction of RET had positive impacts for local businesses, including improved competitiveness, improved business performance and supporting local economic activity.

7. The removal of RET for CVs in April 2012 has had a significant negative impact on different types of hauliers. It has:

  • had a negative effect on the volumes and margins of small hauliers, who play an important role in offering choice in the market;
  • squeezed the margin of trader-hauliers who are key to the economies of small islands like Coll, Tiree and Barra;
  • necessitated an increase in prices for network hauliers who require high volumes to ensure the sustainability of their businesses. In turn this will expose these firms to volume risk; and
  • reduced the volume and economies of scale of full-service hauliers, thus increasing the long-run market rate for haulage.

8. On each route other than Oban – Castlebay / Lochboisdale, in the six months following the removal of RET carryings declined, compared to the same six-month period in the previous year. The decline ranged from 17.5% on the Oban – Coll / Tiree and Ullapool – Stornoway routes to 7.2% on the Uig – Tarbert / Lochmaddy route.

9. Over the same period revenue increased by over £380,000.

10. In most cases, hauliers used RET to offset rate rises being driven by other operating costs, particularly the significant increase in fuel witnessed in the 12 months to September 2008.

11. The evidence demonstrates that hauliers maintained transport charges at their 2008 level throughout the RET pilot despite total costs increasing at above-inflation rates. As a result of that approach transport charges to businesses remained constant over the RET pilot period but, with general inflation also rising, transport charges to businesses declined in real terms.

12. The sudden move away from RET for CVs is seen by the island communities and a number of their representatives as highly detrimental (even with the transitional arrangements) as a number of haulage firms and island customers who are tied into medium to long-term contracts and will have to absorb the cost of these rises. This issue is compounded by the short-term cash flow risks of hauliers, who are in many cases bearing the financial exposure of their whole supply chain.

13. In many cases, the removal of RET for CVs in April 2012 had been passed on in terms of higher transport charges, with 88% of businesses who participated in the survey noting that the increase in CV fares had been passed on to their business. Also, over 68% of businesses in the survey expect this increase to be in the region of £1,000 to £5,000 per annum. These increases in ferry fares have, in a number of cases, fed through to a decline in business performance across a number of sectors.

14. The removal of RET for CVs has had a negative impact on businesses that are moving or purchasing a low volume of goods; moving low value goods; or where the company is a price taker in the market. Many firms in the islands are of this type, particularly in the primary sector, with some areas’ businesses in the primary sector accounting for over 35% of total businesses. The removal of RET for CVs will make these businesses less competitive in the longer-term as rates progress back to their non-RET level.

15. All areas of the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree will be affected by the removal of RET fares for CVs. Given sectoral profile, recent socio-economic trends, and business location within the haulage market, some areas will, however, be more vulnerable than others and will experience different levels of impacts.

16. Areas with a large share of enterprises in the primary sector will likely be adversely affected most. The Western Isles, Coll and Tiree as a whole have a proportionately higher share of enterprises within the primary sector. This is the case, particularly in the Uists, Benbecula, Barra, Coll and Tiree where the figure is as high as 38%. It will leave these areas more vulnerable as they already face higher than average transport charges due to the lower number of hauliers in the area and less competition in the haulage market.

17. Many of the businesses in the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree are concerned that the lack of certainty and frequent policy changes on CV fares are having a detrimental impact on business confidence and long-term investment planning. Businesses stress the need for a clearly defined longer term fares strategy by the Scottish Government.

Click below for the full report:

Impact_of_Removal_of_RET_from_CVs_-_Final_Report

Still no RET report date from Keith Brown

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SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
WRITTEN ANSWER

25 April 2013

Index Heading: Transport Scotland

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when the research it commissioned on the impact of removing road equivalent tariff for commercial vehicles on routes between the mainland and the Western Isles, Coll and Tiree was completed and on what date it will publish the findings.

(S4W-14263)

Mr Keith Brown MSP :  Over the last few months we have engaged closely with the study consultants and with Steering Group members on the final report into the post-RET commercial vehicle fares impact study. We are finalising publication arrangements, and anticipate that the report will be published shortly.

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

EXCLUSIVE – CalMac staffers tell this blog some will lose far more than 25 per cent of earnings

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Many shore-based staff who were told recently by ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne that their allowances will be cut are actually due to lose even more than the reported quarter of their take-home pay.

Several members of CalMac staff have reached out to this blog claiming they are expected to be available for work up to 14 hours a day and now face losing the benefits they were promised for their co-operation – with some losing nearly a third of their income.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the ferry company is also now facing an employment tribunal being brought by several Port Assistants who claim they were recruited under that job title so the company could avoid being paying them the agreed rate and allowances for Port Clerks – even though the job specification is the same.

In a call to the Maciverblog confidential telephone line, a west coast shore staff member explained that, having done calculations with a colleague, they were both shocked to learn they were set to lose more than 25 per cent from their earnings.
“My colleague and I will both lose more than that. It will make a substantial difference to our way of life. We were all given these benefits because we have very anti-social hours. We start at 6.15am a few mornings a week until 8pm, as well as working Saturdays and almost every Sunday.”

Tom Kennedy, the Scottish organiser of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), confirmed that he was aware that some CalMac employees would indeed lose out even more than a quarter of their income if the company’s planned changes were fully implemented.

He explained: “We had to find a ballpark indicator – a sort of average. Some of the shore staff will lose around 14 per cent, some will lose about 25 per cent and, yes, some will lose even more. We did not want to be accused of exaggerating so we did it that way.”

Meanwhile, other shore staffers told this blog’s confidential line that CalMac was expected to face an employment hearing because some of its Port Assistants are taking it to a tribunal over being paid a lot less than Port Clerks.

The sources said: “They have taken on Port Assistants so they can pay them 25% less than Port Clerks. They have been doing that for years even though they are doing exactly the same job. That is illegal.
“Port assistants can lose £500 to £600 a month in pay. The unions are fighting that as well. It is so unfair – the workforce are not happy at all because there is no attempt to cut the wages of management. They are all getting more and more while we are having our money cut at every opportunity.”

The tribunal action is expected to be brought by the Rail Maritime Transport (RMT) union on behalf of the Port Assistants. No one was available to comment at the union’s Glasgow offices on Wednesday evening.

Initial talks on Tuesday between the ferry company and union representatives failed to find any resolution. The unions are consulting with members and will put forward counter proposals by the next meeting on May 8. If there is no agreement, the unions expect to move towards balloting on possible strike action which could cripple west coast ferry services during the busy tourist season.

CalMac last night declined to comment on the claims that the loss of income of some employees will be higher than 25 per cent or on the expected employment tribunal being brought by the Port Assistants.

A company spokesman would only say: “We do not comment on individuals. Discussions with colleagues and the unions are continuing.”

Although some CalMac staff gave permission to be named on this blog, saying they were so fed up that the dole queue seemed an attractive option, I have decided not to name any of them.

The Maciverblog confidential tipoff line is open 24 hours a day on 01851 720821. It is voicemail only and no human will answer.

STATEMENT – Isles MP meets Everything Everywhere

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Wednesday 24 April 2013

MACNEIL MEETS WITH MOBILE NETWORK OPERATOR ‘EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE LTD’

Angus MacNeil MP yesterday met with representatives from mobile network operator, Everything Everywhere Ltd, following a spate of disruptions to the Orange mobile signal in Uig on the Isle of Lewis.

Mr MacNeil said: “In Uig on the Isle of Lewis, Orange customers have been experiencing extensive outages with their Orange mobile signal and in some instances it took in the region of two weeks to be repaired.  I contacted the mobile network operator, Everything Everywhere Ltd on behalf of Orange customers and today relayed their concerns.

“On the positive side, Orange assured me that they are looking to improve their rural coverage in the islands, by upgrading their equipment in the coming years.   I of course urged them to improve coverage.  They conceded renewal may not happen as soon as I would like and stressed they were a private company rather than a utility.

“However, I do urge Orange and Vodafone to cooperate so both companies can provide decent networks in the islands, rather than a patchwork of both.”

Warning – those dodgy door-to-door handymen are back on the island

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An eagle-eyed informant tells me that a group of guys from across the sea came off the ferry last night and, no doubt, will be going around as before offering to do jobs but demanding huge amounts of money when they do them.

If the work later turns out to be sub-standard, as often happens, they are nowhere to be found. This time they are driving a white Toyota van. If you see it, make a note of the registration number. The big problem is that these guys always deliberately target the elderly – the group of people most likely to give in when more money than is due is demanded.

They may sit in their vehicles near homes for a while so they can work out which addresses have older residents. However, going by their track record in the last year, they may still try and hoodwink younger people who do not want to have a fuss on their doorstep and will pay up just to get rid of them.

Please warn older people to be very careful. If you believe there has been anything improper, either call the police on 101 or the trading standards department on 01851 822694.

Thank you, D, for keeping me informed.

Forget the nonsense about planes carrying newspapers here. It’s just never going to happen again

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Just to make it clear, because there is so much misinformation flying about and certain politicians trying to grab headlines and certain people happy to give it to them, there is no chance of Loganair taking newspapers to the islands on passenger flights. It is a ridiculous notion.

Because of other hats I wear, I know how much space is taken up by passenger luggage – I see it most days of the week – so I wish the people who claim it can be done would pipe down.  You need a cargo plane – a freighter. There are other options currently being discussed which we will hear about in due course, but not involving Loganair.

Just for the record, Phil Preston, the big boss at Loganair, told me today: “The aircraft used to deliver the newspapers to Stornoway from Aberdeen was a freighter and unable to carry passengers.”

In other words, you can’t mix the two. And it’s now too expensive. Those days are gone. 

As for Eastern Airways, you can forget those rumours too. Yes, they fly from Aberdeen to Stornoway but it’s not going to happen. Their plane arrives too late and they too just don’t have any room on it.

They told me: “Due to the committed flying programme of the aircraft that is allocated to operate the Stornoway to Aberdeen route, there are no current plans to change the schedule and timings.  We don’t currently have any dedicated freighter aircraft in our fleet, and our passenger aircraft do not have the necessary capacity to carry freight.”

Local Labour party demands MP and MSP help CalMac staff over pay cut threat

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The islands’ MP and MSP must intervene in the dispute over a planned massive cut in earnings to CalMac shore staff. That is the view of the isles’ Labour party which today said it deplored the threatened pay cuts.

In its statement, Western Isles Constituency Labour Party said that, if implemented, it would mean both longer working hours and pay-cuts in the region of 25% to the CalMac staff who are often employed in peripheral and economically disadvantaged areas throughout the west coast of Scotland.

“The vast majority of these are women; a number of which are the sole providers for families. This will clearly have a devastating effect on their household income.”

Labour said that as the ferry firm’s annual accounts showed a £4.5 million profit, with another £5.8 million being returned to the Scottish Government, the Western Isles branch saw no need for these “draconian” measures.

The Labour statement also said: “The Western Isles Constituency Labour Party calls on the Western Isles MP, Angus B MacNeil and his Holyrood counterpart, Dr Alasdair Allan, to perform their primary role as representatives of the people of this constituency, intervening in this dispute and urging the company to withdraw proposals that will affect people throughout the islands. Those employed in our ferry service deserve no less.”

Dr Allan has said he was in touch with CalMac to get clarification of their intentions and he expressed the hope that a solution can be found that respects the situation of staff.

He said: “It would not be helpful for me to speculate about this while talks are ongoing.”

Meanwhile, the first round of talks over the controversial pay cut plan between the main union, the Transport and Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), and CalMac are due to kick off on Tuesday.

 

Shock and fury as SNP government plans “horrendous” pay cut for CalMac shore staff

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Do you work ashore for CalMac? How will this planned pay cut affect you? Call the confidential voicemail line (no one will answer personally) anytime on 01851 720821 or write to [email protected]. You may leave a name and contact number, if you wish. However, I shall not publish your name in any reports – unless you specifically say it is okay to do so. Iain.

11:30pm  Update: Now with quote from Alasdair Allan MSP

About 70 Caledonian MacBrayne staff have been told they may suffer a swingeing package of cuts to allowances and bonuses which could slash their take home pay by a quarter as well as making them work longer hours.

Trades unions have vowed to fight the plan which would affect staff working for the ferry company mainly in booking offices and workers at west coast ports.

CalMac meanwhile has described it as “a sensible and affordable resolution” because of the state of the economy but said it understood the impact it could have and claimed it had a plan to cushion the blow.

It has emerged that talks on the controversial changes planned to the staffs’ pay and conditions between CalMac bosses and representatives of the shore staff union, the Transport and Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), are due to begin shortly.

The ferry company, which is effectively owned by Scottish Ministers in the SNP-controlled Scottish Government and operated by government arm Transport Scotland, has already written to all the affected staff. The union said CalMac told them it is proposing to remove weekend working premiums as well as cut shift allowances, night working payments and annual holiday bonuses. It also says it needs to make radical changes to rostering which would mean a two-hour increase in the working week to 40 hours.

Tom Kennedy, the Scottish organiser of the TSSA, said the union had calculated it would mean a 25 per cent cut to members’ salaries.

He said: “This has been ordered by Transport Scotland because they are looking to increase efficiency. Yet the ferry company’s annual accounts show that current operational effectiveness in terms of punctuality is running at 99.7%.
“They are picking on people in very vulnerable communities and taking what are reasonable pay and conditions into a primitive employment package. Nowhere else in Britain have I seen a proposal for a 25% cut in pay and an increase in the working week.”

Mr Kennedy confirmed that talks with CalMac about the pay cut plan were due to open on Tuesday and said the union’s stance now had the support of the STUC and, after an emergency motion at its conference in Inverness on Saturday, the backing of the Scottish Labour party too.

“We want CalMac to withdraw these proposals. Their annual accounts show they have just made £4.5 million profit as well as giving £5.8 million back to the Scottish Government.
“Of the 70 staff affected, about 70 per cent of them are women. We did a survey of members to gauge the impact and one member told us that it will mean her kids will get packed lunches instead of taking school dinners. That is how serious this is.
“There is no need for it as we believe our members in the outports are doing a superb job and giving customers all they are entitled to expect from the CalMac company.”

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has written to Nicola Sturgeon and warned the deputy first minister that anybody losing that proportion of their salary would face hardship. She said: “The shore staff have to be available for the boats because of bad weather with ferries arriving at any time of the day and night. They give excellent service when required and if this money is not available to them they may not be able to keep those jobs.”

While every employer needed to look at efficiencies, they could do it without taking it out on the staff, she said.

“People who are under-employed are paid less and fall into a poverty trap as they have no access to benefits. It’s as bad as being unemployed for affecting their life chances. I have written to Nicola Sturgeon as it is important that ministers get involved and intervene and show they value their staff and take away this horrendous proposal.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “While this is a matter between the employer and the unions, we would urge both parties to seek an early resolution to avoid any impact on passenger services.”

CalMac insisted that the slashing of the various allowances and the introduction of longer hours was because the economy was going through a challenging time that even a publicly-owned one like itself was not immune to.

The Gourock-based ferry company said: “We are working with colleagues and unions to ensure we comply with the working time directive and best practice to give the small number of staff affected a fair remuneration and work life balance.
“We understand the impact this may have and have made generous proposals to cushion this wherever possible and to deliver a sensible and affordable resolution. We are talking with trades unions and meeting with them next week to discuss some proposals which is normal practice. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”

The emergency motion passed at the Scottish Labour conference in Inverness at the weekend called on CalMac to withdraw the planned pay cuts. The conference also agreed to a campaign – including industrial action – in defence of the shore staff’s current pay and conditions.

Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan, who is also a minister in the Scottish Government, said; “My understanding is that CalMac are currently in discussions with unions and some staff about pay and conditions. It would not be helpful for me to speculate about this while talks are ongoing.
“However I have written to CalMac to ask them to clarify the situation and expressed the hope that a solution can be found that respects the situation of staff.”