2023 Calmac Ferry Crisis

[BCram]

Come on Islay, answer this question.

Sorry Deeranged. I was typing my thoughts while you were trying to get an answer from Islay. Surely he can't be using the Nelms school of communication?😇

[Deeranged]

Sorry Deeranged. I was typing my thoughts while you were trying to get an answer from Islay. Surely he can't be using the Nelms school of communication?��

And a very good answer it is.

I feel some of the reason we can't compete effectively in ship building and fabrication with Poland, Singapore etc. is to do with the unions (who I despise by the way) making unrealistic wage and condition demands and over egging the H&S. It's so easy now for any employee to just turn around and say 'no, I'm not working in the rain' or 'I have a bit of a cold so can't come in today' knowing they're untouchable and will likely still earn a full wage. So schedules go right and work doesn't get completed on time.

I was brought up to expect a fair day's wage for a fair day's work and I deliver for my employer on that basis. Other countries still work that way and their yards are much more competitive and just as importantly, reliable, than our yards are.

These ferries would likely have been completed by now if the order had gone overseas but then the people employed in this country would not have been working on them, our tax money would have gone to that country and not back into our economy.

It will have been a quandry for the SG at the time of award however there does seem to be more than one thing smelling slightly off over the entire process. I suspect a bit of an 'understanding' in over promising and under delivering up front for one thing.

[islaydarkblue]

And a very good answer it is.

I feel some of the reason we can't compete effectively in ship building and fabrication with Poland, Singapore etc. is to do with the unions (who I despise by the way) making unrealistic wage and condition demands and over egging the H&S. It's so easy now for any employee to just turn around and say 'no, I'm not working in the rain' or 'I have a bit of a cold so can't come in today' knowing they're untouchable and will likely still earn a full wage. So schedules go right and work doesn't get completed on time.

I was brought up to expect a fair day's wage for a fair day's work and I deliver for my employer on that basis. Other countries still work that way and their yards are much more competitive and just as importantly, reliable, than our yards are.

These ferries would likely have been completed by now if the order had gone overseas but then the people employed in this country would not have been working on them, our tax money would have gone to that country and not back into our economy.

It will have been a quandry for the SG at the time of award however there does seem to be more than one thing smelling slightly off over the entire process. I suspect a bit of an 'understanding' in over promising and under delivering up front for one thing.

Ferguson’s Shipyard was the dearest of all the tenders so CMAL bosses moved the goalposts to allow the Ferguson’s tender fall in price to compete with the other shipyards tendering for the two new ferries. However the CMAL bosses did not notify the other shipyards tendering for the two new ferries contract that they had changed the terms of the contract specifically for Ferguson’s Shipyard.
The SNP were determined that Ferguson’s were awarded the contract because Alex Salmond’s pal Jim McColl had been persuaded to purchase Ferguson’s out of administration two months before the September 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Bad news was not allowed in the run up to September 2014.
In my opinion awarding the two new ferries contract to Jim McColl’s Ferguson Shipyard was payback time.
The cost of the two new ferries was deliberately kept below £100 million and the normal insurance provided by the winning shipyard was not provided in the Ferguson Shipyard tender.

[BCram]

Aye don't pay for goods till they've passed QC it's not rocket science. Surely you can see what happens to projects once folk realise there's a blank cheque every week? Sick kids, trams, ferries, etc, etc. Buying work has never worked up till now, it benefits too few.

Buying work is a good way to describe Keynesian Economics which formed the basis of the way to escape the recession of the 1930s, the financial crash of 2008 when it was renamed as Quantitative Easing, and latterly as the justification for the furlough support during lockdowns.
It's been widely overused and completely abused by not delivering the money to buy British made products. The Forth Crossing is the latest example where Scottish tax payers bought Chinese steel and other foreign produced products. It was built and designed by consultants from other parts of the world and even the construction workers were not entirely local.
We need to rediscover our abilities to do things for ourselves and try to rebuild the Made in Scotland brand.

[islaydarkblue]

I have been taking advantage of this afternoon’s sunny weather to top up my tan hence the reason I did not promptly reply to Deeranged post.
I enclose an article from the Greenock Telegraph newspaper where an Inverclyde Councillor does not want the Scottish Government to privatise (sell off) Ferguson’s Shipyard. https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/...sell-off-plan/
Councillor Martin McCluskey says that with CMAL, Calmac and Ferguson Shipyard all headquartered in the Inverclyde area they could become a powerhouse of shipbuilding.
On the contrary they are all Scottish Government owned companies who are costing the Scottish taxpayers a fortune.

[islaydarkblue]

I am surprised that there have been no comments about the latest problems with the Calmac ferries namely 60 foot passengers being left stranded on the island of Arran when the last sailing of the day at 19.20 was cancelled two hours earlier due to fog. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...-west-65588142
You will read in tne article that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing amongst some Calmac staff. People were told that they could not board the MV Alfred because they did not have a booking but the MV Alfred is operating on a ‘turn up and go’ basis with no bookings being taken for sailings.
Sadly this is not the first this has happened with Calmac sailings.
On a number of occasions on the Kennacraig to Islay route mainly during the winter months the 18.00 sailing from Kennacraig to Islay has been cancelled up to 24 hours in advance of the time of the sailing due to stormy weather yet at the time of the sailing the weather was calm.
This makes people on Islay think that the last sailing of the day was being cancelled due to a lack of bookings with the Calmac management using the weather as an excuse.

[Deeranged]

I am surprised that there have been no comments about the latest problems with the Calmac ferries namely 60 foot passengers being left stranded on the island of Arran.

I'd think they'd be pretty restricted in the number of 60 foot passengers they can take safely aboard. I'm only 5'10" but they can also only take so many my size.

[islaydarkblue]

I'd think they'd be pretty restricted in the number of 60 foot passengers they can take safely aboard. I'm only 5'10" but they can also only take so many my size.

You know that people travelling on Calmac ferries are classed as foot passengers.

[Deeranged]

You know that people travelling on Calmac ferries are classed as foot passengers.

Come on Islay it was a joke - force a smile, you might even enjoy it.

[islaydarkblue]

Come on Islay it was a joke - force a smile, you might even enjoy it.

I thought that you were trying to be a smart Alec.
I have enough problems with noahrab posting comments which have nothing to do with this topic.