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.
I hope TSSA will find some form of industrial action which will not affect the ordinary ferry using public. How about ignoring Macneil, Manford and Allan when they try to book journeys, forgetting to load their well subsidised cars, forgetting to offload them at their destination and so on? Any action that would hit out at the people responsible without affecting services for ordinary people would enjoy huge public support.
Sorry to see anyone getting such a substantial pay cut, but surely it’s still better than being unemployed!
“Customer service” from shore based staff is, on the whole, atrocious anyway – especially in Ullapool where one little hitler who shall remain nameless takes great delight in making sure that those who arrive earliest are last onto the ferry. It’s not a whole lot better in Stornoway either. I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve turned up very early only to end up on the mezzanine deck or stuck behind a queue of lorries and camper vans on the road to Inverness, due to the poor loading. It’s just a bit of a joke now, along with the absolutely freezing temperature on the boat (Isle of Lewis) and cold overpriced food.
It should be said that staff on the other ferries ie The Hebrides, the Clansman, the Isle of Arran and the one which sails from Leverburgh are courtesy itself. Perhaps the pay cuts should be in line with the level of service provided rather than punishing the genuinely efficient competent staff on these routes. Might persuade Stornoway to buck their ideas up a bit!
If you turn up early and ferry is busy then you will end up on mezzanine deck as they have to fill it first. Agree with you that lorries and buses should leave after cars but that’s problematic as they load lorries on first so they have to get off first.
I dont think there would be many lorries or buses would hold one back on this route. In fact i would say it was the other way round, car(s) with first day trippers to mainland as culprit.
Since the speed limit on single carriageways is 40 mph for HGVs, 50mph for buses and 50mph for cars towing caravans it stands to reason that a car wanting to do 60mph is going to get held up!!! there’s not a lot of overtaking places between Ullapool and Inverness, particularly if you’re in a queue of traffic.
Must agree with Tina. The customer services is poor particulalrly at Ullapool and Stornoway. I get very annoyed by:
The VIP Lane in both Ports where certain owners of large German Cars with personal plates are loaded to the front and escape the riff raff in the pursuit of getting passed Motor Homes, HGVs and Caravan towers et al.
Cal Mac per se. I once wrote and suggested that in the interest of safer traffic management on the grind from Uig to Broadford that all HGVs, Caravans and Motor Homes were politely pulled over after disembarking first for just the 10 minutes it would take to permit the faster car traffic to leave the boat and Uig not as priority but simple common sense to stagger the traffic flow through Skye. First letter unanswered (bit like an FOI to CnES) second letter reply ” Not Cal Mac’s responsibility” or what they really meant “dont bloody care”.
This option is not possible at Ullapool – no where to line up the waiting traffic, but there are better opportunities to overtake on the road to Inverness – Uig south barely a chance. Beyond me why Cal Mac dont adopt this at Uig it would certainly be a move to better customer services and or any appreciation.
Mezzanne Decks – hate the delay and of course being left behind the slow moving convoy from Ullapool/Uig. Answer (not used by myself I just put up with it) become one of the privilaged customers and get in the VIP lane or as a friend of mine always does – put a top box on your roof and increase the vehicle height
You are joking about the VIP lane aren’t you? If it is true, I just hope that Northlink Serco don’t get to hear about it or they’ll try to screw the North Isles even more.