JustMe Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 serco stated there would be no change in ferry fares,however i have just looked at the serco ferries website, and high season will begin in april and run through till sept,thus doing away with mid season, looks like a price hike to meNot only a price hike.....it might be a lie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenman Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 what might be a lie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenman Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 northlink employee will be tupe'd acrossmbut this protection of terms and conditions does not apply to pensions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 what might be a lieA lie in that Serco said they would not put up prices and now they are doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenman Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 what else they telling porkies about i wonder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piggywiggie Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 well I hope that they dont get rid of the staff on ferry. I actually think they are very pleasant. (I wouldnt have the sea legs to work on a boat)there was one member of staff that has made an impression (cant remember name though I was half asleep) but on my ferry journey from aberdeen to lerwick on monday night, we went into the 'posh' restaraunt for our tea and it was top class service. so polite and friendly. (shame the restraunts on the actual island cant provide this) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piggywiggie Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 how do you go about booking a trip on boat now? still able to do it on northlink site?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruidh Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 Politicians Colin?......try here http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2012/06/msps-write-to-minister-about-possible-northlink-strike/. Must admit that I have always found the ferry crews to be at worst polite even at the end of a long shift. And I have nothing against them being worried about their pensions and other rights when Serco take over. What I am against is the RMT calling for a strike ballot long before negotiations with Serco have finished. Wonder how many potential tourists have decided to go somewhere else already. "Just me" i beleive The RMT have called for a strike because Serco have no intention of continuing the pension and don't be surprised if the Officers union does the same.Feelings are very strong about this. And as for Jamie Ross of Serco saying "the talks were constructive " my understanding was it was a case of this is what we are going to do and we aren't going to shift on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenman Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 so how many folk here will support a strike by ferry crews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 how do you go about booking a trip on boat now? still able to do it on northlink site?? You still go through the same sites and numbers, prices etc stay the same for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 As with all strikes, there will be plenty of notice for the public and businesses to work around the day. I for one will support the strike, if there are no further constructive talks. We folk who provide a service are constantly hammered every time someone else gets it wrong. We did N30, and have now got a reasonable deal. The islanders kept their Coastguard Station, we are still trying to keep others open, the campaign still goes on with Viewforth. All these show that it is the services folk need that seem to be getting cut. Crew and staff of Northlink should be afforded the same conditions. They are not the ones who created this situation.Many employees have made large sacrifices for "savings". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 so how many folk here will support a strike by ferry crewsDifficult question. If the union call a strike before they have exhausted every other option for reaching a settlement with Serco then no. Remember this is a lifeline service we are talking about. But if Serco fails to make an offer the union can accept then yes. And how about this for a thought. Serco have a contract to run a service and if they fail to run that service because they will not agree terms with their staff then are Serco in breach of contract and could the Scottish Government either claw back some money from them or even terminate the contract. Something to ponder Serco!. If people think I have changed my mind about my original posting the answer is no. Still think that this was typical of Crow and the RMT calling for a strike ballot before Serco has even taken over the service but I guess it has served as a wake up call to the government and Serco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruidh Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 I as a potential "striker" hope it doesn't come to a stoppage, and Serco agree to pay into the existing pension fund.I hope Crow and his side kicks use more temperate language when speaking to the media, and not use the likes of " Brothers and Sister" terms of the Scargill era which only reminds people of the old lefty mob.Once agiain I remind you that people from your own Islands,as well as people from the mainland who may be about to retire in the next few years,are going to suffer as a result of this.Time is not on our side July 5th is just round the corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 I as a potential "striker" hope it doesn't come to a stoppage, and Serco agree to pay into the existing pension fund.I hope Crow and his side kicks use more temperate language when speaking to the media, and not use the likes of " Brothers and Sister" terms of the Scargill era which only reminds people of the old lefty mob. That is good to hear. A strike hurts all your customers and of course means the strikers losing wages. Have to say that my first posting was badly worded. No way do I think it is right that you should lose any pension rights every time the contract changes hands and I agree that protecting pension rights should be part of the conditions within the contract. I note the claim that Serco are going to remove the mid season fares for 2013 but have to say that so far all I could find was that they proposed peak and off peak timetables which is not quite the same thing. But I hope if they do abolish mid season fares without consultation with the Scottish Government then the government cracks down on them for breaking a promise. Now to explain my initial outburst I have promised a friend and his young son a holiday in Shetland this year. Obviously a strike could impact on this and since I was going down to somewhere in the South of England to collect them I have already booked a flight to Aberdeen as a backup should the ferry be cancelled on the day I leave. And I have plans for us to visit somewhere else if we cannot get here. Just one example of people already being affected by even talk of a strike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenman Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 strike is last resort, so lets hope things are settled before strike action. i will support strike should it come to that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now