Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 25 November 2015.

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Photo of Johann Lamont Johann Lamont Labour

The workforce might have something to say about what their terms and conditions might be under a different employer. We know that money has to be taken from somewhere to provide private profit.

As Tavish Scott said, this has always been a controversial issue. I recall that it resulted in a number of rebellions that shifted the position of the then Scottish Executive, particularly on not unbundling the routes, which has been an important step. In 2005, there was a reluctant acceptance—certainly by some—of the need to tender, but then significant work was done to deter any privateers that were looking to make a fast buck at the expense of workers’ terms and conditions, and as a consequence only CalMac bid, and it secured the contract. CalMac has returned surpluses to the Scottish Government every year since the contract was let to it, so we are in a positive place, with CalMac providing a good service and returning money to the Government.

That approach is in sharp contrast to the Scottish Government’s ferries review of 2012, which commented on the benefits of competition in offering the potential for reduced subsidies. That is at the heart of the debate. The Government is trying to speak with two separate voices, with some recognising the benefits of competition and others saying, “We have to do this in order to protect CalMac.” We need to be clearer about what the position is, because there are now two bidders. One is CalMac, which has delivered successful services, and the other is Serco. Even in the private world of Alex Johnstone, surely there is a contrast in the quality of service there.

Serco cannot bid for UK Government contracts because of its history and its lack of financial roadworthiness. Has the Scottish Government tested the viability of Serco to take on the contract? Does the Scottish Government have the option to decide that Serco is not a suitable bidder? I believe that it has that option.

Critically, we also have legal advice—via the RMT and from what my colleague David Stewart said—that it would be possible for the Scottish Government to seek an exception. What is being done to test that? Why not go to Europe? The Scottish Government has not lived its life defending what the previous Government did and it has not been afraid to take on Europe. Why, in this case, has it not satisfied us by showing that it is willing to ask the question?

This is a serious time and it is a serious matter. I urge the minister not to shoot the messenger but to listen to the message that is being sent by the unions and local communities.

Mike Russell might want to ask why crews that are organised in their unions are raising such concerns. Perhaps it is because they understand and fear what might be ahead of them.

Despite all the mythologising about who said what and when, there is really only one question: which side is the Scottish Government on? Does it want CalMac to survive to deliver a critical public service and return money to the public purse? If the answer is yes, can we get the Government to test the argument to destruction? I suspect that there are those on the Government side who want CalMac to survive but that others would be content if they got Serco to do the job instead for a cheaper buck.

I urge SNP back benchers to recognise the case that is being made and defend their communities, not just their Government. They should listen not just to me but to those who work in and benefit from the ferry services. They should listen to the RMT member who came to the rally and told me that this has been hanging over the workforce for 20 years and needs to be sorted.

If the minister is serious in his protestations that he wants to protect high-quality public ferry services on the Clyde and in the islands, he should test the argument. He needs to use the power that he has, take on the legal argument and ask Europe for an exemption. If he does that, I assure him that we on this side and people in communities across Scotland will applaud him.