Ferry strike back on

INTER island ferry services in Shetland are likely to be hit by industrial action as of next week after mediation talks failed to bring a breakthrough.

Representatives of Shetland Islands Council and the Unite union met through ACAS in Aberdeen on Tuesday morning.

Regional organiser of Unite, John Taylor, said the union was now recommending to its members to go ahead with the strike.

The dispute is over job evaluation and associated wages after salary grades of mates on council-run ferries had been reassessed during single status negotiations.

Ferry mates had planned to stage three-hour long walkouts every Wednesday and also not to act as masters and not to work overtime to cover for sick leave.

However the industrial action was called off just before Christmas as a sign of good will after further talks had been agreed.

The council’s head of infrastructure services Maggie Sandison said she was disappointed that the union rejected all the options the council had presented to the meeting.

She added: “Unite have, with the support of ACAS, prepared their own proposal which will now be presented to councillors for consideration.

“The proposal presented by Unite would mean that this group of staff would be treated differently from other staff in the job evaluation scheme because of the marine environment they work within.

“We are still keen to find a resolution, but recognise that this can only be within the job evaluation scheme.”

Taylor said: “The report will not be presented to council before February, so as far as we are concerned we are recommending to our members to start industrial action again.

“We can continue with the industrial action, the only thing we have to find out is whether we have to re-issue seven days notice or not.”