RMT urges the Scottish Government to award Hebrides ferry contract to state owned CALMAC.

[YorkRailFan]

From the RMT: RMT Press Office:

Scottish Ferries union RMT, has called on the SNP government in Scotland to award Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) contract directly to publicly owned operator Calmac.

Ahead of a decision due tomorrow on whether the ferry service will be put out to competitive tender or awarded to Calmac, RMT called on the Scottish government to make sure the ferry service stays in public hands for the long term.

RMT General Secretary, Mick Lynch said: “The Scottish government needs to show real leadership and directly award the next contract for Clyde and Hebrides ferry services to the current operator, Scotland’s public sector ferry company CalMac.

"This would be in line with the Scottish Government’s own policy preference and with the recommendations of the cross-party MSPs on the Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee.

"Opening up this £1bn lifeline ferry contract to an expensive and wasteful tendering process, would be dreadful for CalMac workers and passengers.

"Tendering would create even more uncertainty in the 10 months left of the current contract, further destabilise the delivery of new ferries and harbour upgrades and encourage P&O style private operators to bid for this essential public transport contract.

"RMT we will never accept privateers being rewarded at the expense of our Calmac members.”

END



Notes:



RMT organise hundreds of seafarers and shore side staff at CalMac Ferries.
In June the NZET Committee of the Scottish Parliament recommended that CalMac be directly awarded the next contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services.
The NZET Committee noted that the Scottish Government’s preference is for a direct award of the next CHFS.

I do agree with the RMT here, give this crucial contract to the state owned CALMAC so that public interest is at heart.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Calmac does have some problems, but I agree with this. They've done it for years, tendering it out would be a waste of money, and now we're out of the EU they have no compulsion to do so.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Calmac does have some problems, but I agree with this. They've done it for years, tendering it out would be a waste of money, and now we're out of the EU they have no compulsion to do so.

Well said.

 

[Dai Corner]

Calmac does have some problems, but I agree with this. They've done it for years, tendering it out would be a waste of money, and now we're out of the EU they have no compulsion to do so.

The requirement is now in Scottish law, though I believe the Scottish Ministers can override it if they wish. Whether anyone but CalMac would bid I don't know.

I'm not going to have the nationalised v private discussion again here.

 

[DelW]

Whoever it's awarded to, it should be a condition of the contract that the ferry operator reintroduces through ticketing with Scotrail as a matter of urgency.

The replacement of many decades of through ticketing with a system making passengers rebook when transferring between two Scottish government controlled operators was just idiocy.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Whoever it's awarded to, it should be a condition of the contract that the ferry operator reintroduces through ticketing with Scotrail as a matter of urgency.

The replacement of many decades of through ticketing with a system making passengers rebook when transferring between two Scottish government controlled operators was just idiocy.

That's a good idea, allowing passengers to book with Scotrail from Glasgow to say Mull via Oban, among many other options. A kind of Rail/Sail ticket.

Update:

RMT Press Office:

The Scottish government announced today that it has decided to "explore a direct award" of the next contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services to CalMac.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “This a step in the right direction for the Clyde and Hebrides contract and RMT welcome the decision to explore a direct award, in line with the recommendation of the cross-party Net Zero Energy and Transport Committee.

"A long term direct award would bring much-needed stability and certainty to workers and passengers on CalMac operated routes and protect public investment.

"We will be meeting the Transport Minister, Fiona Hyslop to argue that the next step should be a coherent and sustainable ferry plan underpinned by a permanently publicly owned People’s CalMac which has the confidence of ferry passengers, workers and communities alike.

"We will also express our strong opposition to any steps which would see the introduction of new privately operated ferry routes or services outside the operational control of CalMac.

“On the Northern Isles contract, we are disappointed that the Scottish Government is continuing with tendering and we will be campaigning for that contract to be awarded to a public sector operator too.”

Seems like the contract is going to go to CALMAC.

 

[thejuggler]

That's a good idea, allowing passengers to book with Scotrail from Glasgow to say Mull via Oban, among many other options. A kind of Rail/Sail ticket.

Even more so when you look at Calmac timetables, for ports with a railway station they provide details of connecting rail services.

 

[chiltern trev]

What about through ticketing with Scottish Citylink as well, e.g Ullapool and Kennacriag?

 

[YorkRailFan]

Even more so when you look at Calmac timetables, for ports with a railway station they provide details of connecting rail services.

I believe that they are timed for interchanges, I've done it myself at Oban.

 

[DelW]

I believe that they are timed for interchanges, I've done it myself at Oban.

There were through train + ferry tickets until early this year. AIUI CalMac introduced a new booking system which was incompatible with Scotrail's, so all through fares were withdrawn.

 

[YorkRailFan]

There were through train + ferry tickets until early this year. AIUI CalMac introduced a new booking system which was incompatible with Scotrail's, so all through fares were withdrawn.

Shame, that was really convenient.

 

[ChrisC]

There were through train + ferry tickets until early this year. AIUI CalMac introduced a new booking system which was incompatible with Scotrail's, so all through fares were withdrawn.

Spirit of Scotland tickets also lost their validity on CalMac at around the same time but there was no reduction in the price.

 

[ld0595]

Unless I'm missing something, I'm fairly sure you can still get ferry & rail through tickets. I did it very recently from Central to Rothesay and it's still available on the app (although this just gives you a code to pick up a through ticketvat a TVM)

 

[DelW]

Unless I'm missing something, I'm fairly sure you can still get ferry & rail through tickets. I did it very recently from Central to Rothesay and it's still available on the app (although this just gives you a code to pick up a through ticketvat a TVM)

When I did that journey in May, the ticket office at Central would only sell us tickets as far as Wemyss Bay. We had to buy separate ferry tickets from the Calmac office on the pier there.

 

[ld0595]

When I did that journey in May, the ticket office at Central would only sell us tickets as far as Wemyss Bay. We had to buy separate ferry tickets from the Calmac office on the pier there.

That's odd - I've been over to Rothesay twice since then and had no issues getting a through ticket. Once through the app which I picked up from the desk and another straight from the desk.

 

[DelW]

That's odd - I've been over to Rothesay twice since then and had no issues getting a through ticket. Once through the app which I picked up from the desk and another straight from the desk.

Maybe the issue has been resolved since then in that case. I haven't made any similar journeys since, so I might be out of date on this one.