Ferry strike action?
The Union of Rail and Maritime Transport (RMT) is troubled about the take-over of the Northern ferry routes by the massive firm, Serco. Though Serco has promised that pension rights will be maintained, RMT is worried about the future. It has asked the Scottish Government for an assurance that rights will be protected on nationally owned ferries and that it will support the Union stance against any further privatising of lifeline ferry services.
The Scottish Government cannot give this promise, as it is legally bound to accept the lowest tender in any awarding of contracts. Serco, with its vast resources, could easily undercut Northlink’s own bid for the service it had built up so successfully, and there was no legal basis on which the lowest offer could be refused. Strike ballot papers are being sent out to RMT members.
For one of the most powerful international companies in the world, Serco keeps a low profile. The Guardian called it ‘the biggest firm you have never heard of.’ It manages 192,000 square miles of airspace in five countries and in the UK, provides computer and software support service to all 66 of our law enforcement agencies. It employs over 100,000 people and its forward order book totals £16.7 billion. It runs Northern Rail, Merseyrail and the London Docklands Light Railway. It operates our speed cameras, does the electronic tagging of offenders and holds the contract to review the cases of over 3.2million people in the UK who receive Disability payments. It also has a £1.7billion contract for maintaining our nuclear warheads and dismantling redundant weapons.
In Scotland Serco, among much else, has a fleet of support vessels for the Royal Navy at Faslane, runs Scatsta Airport on Shetland and provides Glasgow City Council with IT and property services. From 2001 until 2003 it jointly ran the infamous Dungavel Immigration Centre, criticised for incarcerating children and treating refugees like prisoners.
Will CalMac survive this sweeping take-over? We can’t be sure. Transport Scotland says it has no intention of privatising the Western routes and is investing millions in ‘new, cutting edge ferries’ etc, but the fact remains that it can make no promises to the RMT about the future.
