Ferry service deal 'acid test' for Scottish Government, RMT claims
The award of the contract to run west coast ferry services will be an "acid test" for the new Scottish Government, shipping union RMT has said.
The award of the contract to run west coast ferry services will be an "acid test" for the new Scottish Government, shipping union RMT has said.
General secretary Mick Cash issued the warning as trade unionists and supporters prepared to gather outside Holyrood to lobby for Clyde and Hebrides ferry services to remain in public ownership.
Current public-sector operator Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) and private company Serco are bidding for the contract, expected to be awarded by the Scottish Government at the end of May after being put out to tender in compliance with European Union (EU) law.
RMT activists are expected to be joined by members of the other CalMac unions Nautilus, Unite and TSSA as well as representatives from the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) and opposition politicians.
Mr Cash said: "Today the newly-crowned SNP government face the acid test of their claims to stand up for public services and the working people of Scotland.
"Do they back the workers or do they back big business? That is the question that RMT members from the Calmac Clyde and Hebrides routes will be putting to Nicola Sturgeon and her colleagues in Edinburgh later this morning.
"There can be no hiding behind the Westminster government or the EU and there can be no equivocation or slippery political attempts to create the impression that the future of the lifeline Calmac ferry routes is somehow out of the Scottish Government's hands.
"This is the Parliament's decision and it is theirs alone. Serco, the specialists in failure with form as long as your arm, are waiting in the wings while the workforce are left in no man's land before this crucial decision is made. The question to the SNP government is 'which side are you on?'"
STUC general secretary Grahame Smith has written to the First Minister to reiterate the union's concerns about the "unnecessary, expensive and hugely destabilising" tender process.
He said: "The Scottish Government's looming decision on the award of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry contract continues to be the source of great trepidation for ferry workers and users alike.
"This decision could spell the effective demise of CalMac, a great Scottish institution, and leave lifeline ferry services and the future of fragile remote communities in the hands of Serco, a company whose track record in delivering public contracts is riddled with failure and deceit."
Scottish Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands John Finnie, who will join the rally with colleague Ross Greer, said: "Public services such as the ferry routes along the west coast must be kept in public hands.
"These are vital transport links for our island communities and are best-served through a company whose focus is public service, not private profit."
Scottish Labour's transport spokesman David Stewart said: "Last year the SNP voted against Labour's call to halt the CalMac privatisation process, despite previous promises they would not put the services out to tender.
"These services are part of the DNA of our islands and simply should not be cherry-picked. It is essential we keep the contract in public hands to ensure the investment is there to provide our island communities with the vital ferry services they need."
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: "As we have made clear from the start of this procurement, the law requires us to undertake a competitive tender process for the Clyde and Hebrides contract. We inherited this position from the previous Labour-Lib Dem administration.
"Whatever the outcome of the procurement process, Scottish ministers will retain control of all of important issues, such as fares and timetables, through the public service contract. Vessels and port infrastructure will also remain publicly owned as they are now.
"We remain focused on ensuring a fair and open competition that leads to getting the very best deal for all of the communities of the Clyde and Hebrides."