Union chief’s call to scrap West Coast ferry tendering
THE HEAD of a transport workers’ trade union insists lifeline ferry services on the West Coast should not be put out to tender again after visiting ferry ports at Mallaig and Armadale.
Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) general secretary Manuel Cortes has been touring the West Coast, meeting CalMac workers in Mallaig and Armadale as part of a campaign to prevent the re-tendering of lifeline ferry services.
Mr Cortes said: ‘I will be using my visit to hammer home the message to the SNP that the Scottish Government must scrap any future tendering of Scotland’s lifeline ferry services.’
On Friday he visited Mallaig Harbour to reinforce the union’s hard stance against private ownership of transport services in the Highlands, before being ferried across to Armadale.
Both ports provide a vital link to the mainland for people living on the Small Isles, Skye and other remote communities. In an interview with the
Lochaber Times, Mr Cortes explained: ‘The Scottish Government and previous administrations repeated that lifeline routes need to be put out to tender.
‘The TSSA maintains this is a smokescreen to hide the government’s intentions to privatise ferry services.’
Mr Cortes claimed ‘the cat is out of the bag’ after the EU Commission confirmed lifeline ferry services do not need to be tendered.
He continued: ‘ The government sought the EU’s opinion on this and the commission responded by telling them that lifeline services cannot be made into cash cows.
‘The government’s stance is utter nonsense.
‘No- one I’ve met on my trip around the West Coast wants taxpayers’ money to line shareholders pockets.
‘Instead, they want that money to provide reliable and affordable services.
‘Our members at CalMac deeply value this service and are an integral part of it.
‘They feel privatisation will lead to increased fares and reduced services.’
The TSSA has 100 members that work for CalMac at onshore ports, including those at Mallaig and Armadale.
Although only a small proportion of the union’s approximate 22,600 members, Mr Cortes stressed how important ferry services in the Highlands are to their work as an organisation, saying: ‘These lifeline ferry services are a huge boost to local economies and employment in the remotest parts of Scotland.
‘The benefit to local communities is impossible to quantify. Some of these communities wouldn’t be here without such a ferry service.’