Ferries strike

A Cal Mac ferry noticeboard suggests that the Sound of Harris ferry will be operating normally on Friday - even though her crew is on strike.

All Western Isles ferries will remain in port with no sailings anywhere causing travel chaos on the day the island schools break up for the summer holidays.

For the past couple of day, the electronic sign at Leverburgh highlighted the impending 24-hour strike.

Such an advance warning was absent on the other side of the crossing. To the unwary, the notice board at Berneray and Lochmaddy suggested the MV Loch Portain would operate as normal.

The crews’ reasons for striking - fears over job losses, cuts to income and pensions in the face of transferring state-owned Cal Mac’s lifeline routes to a private operator - won sympathy from tourist Moira Dunworth, who was travelling by sea between North Uist and Harris.

She said: “The crews are fabulous. They are nice and courteous.

“The government is selling the routes to the highest bidder but there’s much more than money involved.”

She fears a lower quality of service and cost cutting if a private operator took over.

In Stornoway, the last passenger ferry until Saturday was packed to the gunwales with cars and passengers, as people desperate to beat the strike queued up for the 2pm departure to Ullapool.

Six vehicles were on stand-by and at risk of being left behind but the crew managed to squeeze everyone on.

The MV Loch Seaforth, will be in the middle of a freight voyage when the strike starts.

However, RMT union members on board will work and make sure she is tied her up safely at Ullapool.

Ferries hit by 24-hour strike

25 June 2015