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.”
I don’t think anyone would expect that puppet to respond Iain till he asked Herr Salmond. I wonder how the big fellow in Calmac office is feeling about this. At least he had the balls to stand down from the SNP council list when they scrapped the RET for haulage last year.
As Fraser used to say in Dads Army “we’re doomed”. Mind you it feels like we are being run by Mainwaring (Salmond), Jones (Brendan) and Pike(Dr Allan) you stupid boy.
And this is before the great referendum vote. Imagine what will happen afterwards if the SNP gets its way..anything that is outside of the M80 corridor and the central belt will get stuffed by Sturgeon/Salmond.
Hello Cllr Manford… are you there?????
Planes are cut and MacNeil, Allan and Manford are shouting from the rooftops: RET cut, and staff salaries cut and they are quiet. Sad and really pathetic.
“Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan, who is also a minister in the Scottish Government, did not respond at the weekend to a request for comment…………..”
that man will never respond to anything…cos hes too weak willed and yawns most of the time at any discussion – rude man – and will always deny anything to do with anything……. cos unfortunately, our msp isnt there for us…the people who voted him in…but to feather his own nest…as they all are. im not surprised…dont know why anone else is!
Macneil, Manford and Allan will remain silent on this issue, and will slavishly support sustained SNP attacks on services and jobs in the Islands because they will support their seperatist party before the people they are paid to represent every time. The three of them are sitting on handsome majorities and know that the fickle electorate have short memories. Trebles all round!
Wha’s Like Us- you are right that the Three Stooges ( Macneil, Manford and Allan) will remain silent on this issue, and they will certainly not support the many islanders who will be affected. The MP is far too busy to be concerned about such trivial issues as Haulage Tax, Mallaig – Lochboisdale, plane links, fare hikes- he is far too absorbed issuing press releases about such pressing issues as booking the Ullapool bus and a fall of 0.5% in unemployment!
If true, expect even more significant resignations from the SNP. Islanders are becoming increasingly disillusioned with SNP here and at Holyrood. Too much focus on a 2014 Referendum, at the cost of “here and now” events. This will ultimately prove to be politically costly.
THE BIG LIE @ALASDAIR ALLAN….”RET IS HERE TO STAY”
UNTIL HE WON THE ELECTION ! then he scrapped it !
What a joke the SNP are……my bets are on both the SNP stooges to lose their seats on the isles.
I have heard another of their SNP counicl candidates resigned ages ago but is keeping quiet for personal and business reason…..wonder how many other people have left the SNP???
I wonder where all the cyber rats are?
This morning’s news re ferry sailings:
Published on Monday 22 April 2013 09:21
“MV Hebrides is out of service this morning (Monday) due to another technical fault.
Services between Tarbert/Uig and Lochmaddy are currently suspended but a review is to take place at 10.30am.
Crossings on the Lochboisdale/Oban and Castlebay service are also delayed due to adverse weather.”
Comment: I hope our shore-based staff, facing swingeing 25% cuts to salary, will as always be readily available to service all sailing requirements when ferries actually arrive in port, whatever the time, day or night, and that they will continue to be appropriately rewarded for their unstinting work and dedication to duty. I suggest any so-called “efficiency savings” start with CEO, Senior Managers and Directors. I don’t think they would countenance a 25% pay cut!
The Northlink boys had the double whammy of pay cuts and their numbers slashed when Serco took over so presumably following the pay cuts, the other boot is to drop, so the Government can transfer Calmac to Serco more easily. Unless of course they hope that enough folk will have to leave and not be replaced to get the numbers down for the new contracts?
man the dinghys!!
Oh dearie me, Dr. Allan has written a letter to CalMac rather than shouting across the corridor to his mate the transport minister, the MP has gone AWOL, and Manford is mute! Aren’t they doing well, the trio of twallies?
Stevo, I have heard that the biggest cyber rat of all is now employed as an IT consultant, without even a Health warning!
tennat crofter – if you mean midnight flitter, serial debtor and former trinket dealer and snp assassin bob duncan , he is strutting about western isles hospital as if butter wouldnt melt … the nhs is in great hands …
I feel a strike looming for the Cal Mac ferries……
Right first time Kenny, I wonder if Alex Neil placed him there, has he been SCRO checked and when are the council going to arrest his wages?
I was wondering why the Subsidy Junkie and all his alter ego’s had gone to ground!
Allan and Brendan have now been found out .
Some people say ” What you see is what you get”
….In the case of Brenda & Allan this isn’t true… they misled islanders with false promises
Brendan – Windfarms
…Allan – RET
In the words of THE WHO…..DON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN !!!!