CalMac refuses to renegotiate

Services could yet be hit by industrial action

Island ferry services look set to grind to a halt after Caledonian MacBrayne insisted it will not re-enter into negotiations with unions over pay.

Staff at the ferry firm are being balloted over a possible strike and, with both sides having reached a stalemate, industrial action looks likely.

Businesses on Mull have already demanded a long-term solution to a dispute with the island's Chamber of Commerce warning that strikes would cause "devastation".

The Caledonian MacBrayne ferry row re-opened on Wednesday after Bob Crow, the London-based general secretary of the RMT union, overruled a pay agreement made by local officials and company management.

Talks between the two sides had resulted in a deal being struck "in principle" on Tuesday.

We will not renegotiate a deal which has already been reached CalMac

However, Mr Crow, who was not involved in the talks, said the offer contained "more strings than a symphony orchestra".

Mr Crow said the union would be seeking further discussions but that a ballot for industrial action would continue in the meantime.

However, CalMac officials said that they have no plans to enter into any further discussions.

"We have not been contacted by the union to re-establish talks, but we will not renegotiate a deal which has already been reached," said a company spokesman.

'Totally dependent'

Island businesses are now bracing themselves for the strike action but say more should be done to find a long-term solution to the dispute.

Mr Brunton, who runs the post office and shop at Fionnphort at the west end of Mull, said the majority of islanders were dependent on the ferry service.

He said: "Practically everything that comes to Mull comes by ferry - except for the electricity, the telephone line, the sun and the rain.

"We are totally dependent on the ferry service passengers, visitors, goods and services.

"The islands are fantastic places to be but we are very dependent on ferries. If a big town like Oban had its road and rail link dug up then there would be outrage, there is outrage now.

"We cannot have these disputes threatening every year. We want a five-year deal or something like that."

Life in places like Stornoway would be badly affected

George Lyon, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Argyll and Bute, said the workers of CalMac should have the final say on the deal, not the London-based union officials.

He added: "It is vital to get long-term stability, every year we have this threat, people cancel holidays and decide not to go. We need a five-year deal negotiated on both sides - put it to the men and let them decide."

Mr Lyon said by rejecting the deal it could leave island communties like Mull facing "economic catastrophe".

But Mr Crow said it was important for the RMT to act as one union.

"We have one rule book which says that local officials can't make an agreement, they can make a recommendation. We have looked at this recommendation and looked at the entire shipping industry and we have decided it is not a good agreement," he stated.

The package is understood to involve a 3% pay rise this year and an increase linked to inflation next year.

It also pledged an extra 1.5% in both years if CalMac meets targets on punctuality and achieves cost efficiencies.