Letters / Congratulations and solidarity
With the dispute between members of the national Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) and multinational contractor Serco NorthLink put on hold to enable further discussions, I first would like tae send my congratulations and solidarity on your recent strike action; your courage and unity within the crews and to your union sends a great message tae wis aa.
Serco are renowned worldwide for dangerously cutting to the bone on staffing levels. On Christmas Island, the Christmas Island Workers Union complained of serious understaffing at the detention centre’s 200 refugees to one guard ratio.
Mental health professionals have labelled them mental health factories because of the suicides, self-harm and ongoing mental health issues suffered by refugees fleeing the effect of wars in Afghanistan, and the aftermath of the civil war in Sri Lanka, and conflict in Iraq.
Serco employs 50,000 people worldwide and is the second largest contractor in England’s national health system. The Royal Collage of Nurse has warned that understaffing is creating serious risks to patient’s safety.
Safety at sea for crew and passengers is paramount, shorthanded and overworked crews are a recipe for disaster; the coastguard dispute had similar issues.
I speak from my own experience as a seamen of almost twenty years at sea including nearly 5 years on two ferries; m/v Troubridge and m/v Island Seaway, in South Australia.
The cowardly attack on Bob Crow, the national secretary of the RMT, by Shetland LibDem MSP Tavish Scott shows how deep they are in their Tory mates’ pockets.
Bob Crow is held in high regard by the rank and file and officials of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), an amalgamation of my old union the Seamen’s Union of Australia (SUA) and the Waterside Workers Federation (WWF).
All workers including seafarers on the north boats have a human right tae take strike action. The days of taking orders fae would-be-lairds is ower.
Yours in solidarity
Davie Thomason
Belmont
Victoria
Australia
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