RMT writes to Scottish Transport minister over CalMac

The Scottish ferries union is campaigning for CalMac to be taken into public ownership on a permanent basis. 

In the letter, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch writes: 

“I write to welcome you to your post as Transport Minister in the Scottish Government. 

“I have no doubt that ferry services on the Clyde and Hebrides contract with CalMac are at the top of your in-tray and it is that crisis which I am writing to you about, to request that you meet, urgently, the RMT and a cross party delegation of MSPs to propose solutions to the chronic problems that have beset these lifeline services and which are making my members’ working lives a misery.

“As you may be aware, RMT hosted an event in the Scottish Parliament yesterday to discuss a new report by Professor Jeanette Findlay and her team from University of Glasgow into the financing of lifeline ferry services.

“All political parties represented in Holyrood were present – SNP, Scottish Labour, Scottish Greens, Scottish Lib Dems and the Scottish Conservatives.

“The debate covered the broad range of factors which have got us to where we are today. 

“Our discussion revealed a clear political consensus to fix CalMac’s problems now, for the sake of passengers and workers on a non-partisan basis and not to wait, fingers crossed that things don’t get any worse. 

“That would be an untenable position, given the risk that the lack of resilience poses to the viability of island communities which depend on the reliable delivery of lifeline ferry services. 

“I hope that you can commit to this urgent summit meeting. We will not agree on everything but I strongly believe that we need to work together in the interests of workers and passengers in CalMac communities to arrest the spiral of decline which has set in and poses grave dangers to the stability of services, jobs, businesses and communities in the west of Scotland.”

END