News / Ferry strike to proceed amid confusion
A STRIKE will bring Shetland’s inter-island ferry services to a halt for a fourth successive Wednesday this week after the islands’ local authority was forced to backtrack on a statement claiming the Unite union had suspended industrial action.
Shetland Islands Council initially said on Monday that it had been informed Unite was suspending its planned six-hour walkout this week – only for the union’s representative John Taylor to counter: “The strike is on on Wednesday.”
The strike – part of a dispute over the pay grading of ferry mates – is scheduled to begin at 5.45am and will lead to disruption for commuters from the outlying islands.
Confusion appears to have arisen after local government umbrella body COSLA told the local authority that Unite had agreed there would be no more stoppages until further talks in Edinburgh next Tuesday (17 February).
In a second statement issued later on Monday, SIC infrastructure director Maggie Sandison said: “Our understanding from COSLA was that the union had confirmed it would lift the threat of industrial action till after next week’s meeting; however, that does not appear to be the case.
“I’m disappointed that the action will be proceeding when there are talks scheduled for next week.”
Taylor said there had been “no communication from this union to anybody saying that the strike is off”. His understanding was that someone in COSLA did inform the council there would be no industrial action but “as far as we’re concerned the strike is on”.
Unite had been “surprised” to learn the council would be present at next week’s talks with COSLA but “we’re not opposed to that”.
He added the union would shortly be informing the council of its intention to take further industrial action next week unless there is a breakthrough.
“Hopefully we have a successful meeting with COSLA and we can call it off. If not, further action will take place.”
Those within Lerwick Town Hall appear increasingly exasperated at Unite, with council leader Gary Robinson saying there were mixed messages coming out of the union.
He claimed Unite regional industrial officer Willie McGonigle had told COSLA joint secretary Tom Young last week that the strikes were suspended – only for that to be contradicted by Taylor on Monday.
“I really do think the union needs to get its act together and speak with one voice,” he told Shetland News.
“We’re getting conflicting information from the union. That’s not helpful in any respect – either for us trying to engage with the union, or for the travelling public that have to make arrangements around the action that’s taking place.
“It also shows a lack of goodwill on the trade union side when we’re willing to have the meeting next week hosted by COSLA.”
The dispute relates to the pay grading of ferry mates, who Unite argues should qualify for a higher pay grade as they work in a more challenging environment than those working outdoors on land.
But the council insists those jobs were assessed fairly when the single status pay negotiations were being carried out.
Robinson says he is “confident that we applied the national job evaluation scheme fairly to marine staff” taking into account those working in outdoor environments and at sea.
SIC councillors have also rejected a proposal – presented by independent arbitration service ACAS – to resolve the dispute.
Following a private meeting of the policy and resources committee on Monday morning, Robinson said it was agreed that the mates’ grievance was “misdirected at the council” which cannot “change the national scheme to suit a local issue”.
The council has released advice from COSLA stating: “Whilst maritime roles are not found in every council, they are present in council structures other than Shetland Islands Council and we would emphasise that changes cannot be made to the scheme design on a local basis”.
COSLA also said the SIC will take part in a pilot programme to “support the application of the scheme to colleagues working in maritime or sea-based roles” sometime in early 2015 – with Unite participating in the decision-making process.
SIC environment and transport committee chairman Michael Stout said the local authority was “fully signed up to the pilot scheme – this is not a lip service thing”.
Sandison added that COSLA had exerted “robust pressure” on Unite in an effort to persuade it to cease industrial action until the pilot has been carried out.
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