NALIL blog
Has RIFL matched this
Caledonian MacBrayne pay rise
that staff might have expected under TUPE arrangements? If not, perhaps DRD will make up the difference ...
- A 3 year Pay deal (see 1 below): 5% salary increase wef 1 October 2008
- A Bonus Scheme of up to 1.5% of basic salary each year.
- Improved Higher Grade Duty Pay and coverage arrangements.
- Agreement to talks on Outport Assistants posts.
- Improved Staff Travel Arrangements for Clerical Staff.
- Family Friendly Policies.
- Death in Service payment.
(The Cape Clear ferry workers, so reliable rumour has it, are being offered, by the operator presumably speaking on behalf of the holiday house company to which the DCRGA saw fit to award our ferry contract, a cut in wages, and possibly the enforced unpaid holiday for one of them, either as unpaid leave or just being fired. The worst element of all this, apart from the increased tension and division withing the community, the prospect ofsome of the best paid, and definitely most reliable, jobs on the island being downgraded and reduced in number, is the threat of the operator working on the boat himself on a regular basis. Many on the island, and possibly other c
NALIL blog
Has RIFL matched this
Caledonian MacBrayne pay rise
that staff might have expected under TUPE arrangements? If not, perhaps DRD will make up the difference ...
- A 3 year Pay deal (see 1 below): 5% salary increase wef 1 October 2008
- A Bonus Scheme of up to 1.5% of basic salary each year.
- Improved Higher Grade Duty Pay and coverage arrangements.
- Agreement to talks on Outport Assistants posts.
- Improved Staff Travel Arrangements for Clerical Staff.
- Family Friendly Policies.
- Death in Service payment.
(The Cape Clear ferry workers, so reliable rumour has it, are being offered, by the operator presumably speaking on behalf of the holiday house company to which the DCRGA saw fit to award our ferry contract, a cut in wages, and possibly the enforced unpaid holiday for one of them, either as unpaid leave or just being fired. The worst element of all this, apart from the increased tension and division withing the community, the prospect ofsome of the best paid, and definitely most reliable, jobs on the island being downgraded and reduced in number, is the threat of the operator working on the boat himself on a regular basis. Many on the island, and possibly other communities around the bay, wondered why, one calm evening shortly before Christmas, he brought the Naomh Ciaran in using its search light. Has some inadequacy developed in the radar? We wouldn’t have the temerity to suggest that the inadequacy lay in the radar’s operator.
Its an ill wind that blows no one any good and I am sure that our northern friends may not be too heart-broken at his repatriation. There are those who are wondering whether this turn of events, should it prove to be true, might at least lead to the reopening of one or other of the two bars in his possession, which depressingly remain closed.
We have been very lucky this winter, so far, with the weather, but we now seem to be running into a major storm. We presume that this will mean a longer period with no boats, than in former years. Running with the two man crew format, Skipper and one other, which the Marine Survey Office, say is adequate for safe sailing of the boat, though of course it reduces passenger service, any skipper would have to be much more cautious than with the traditional, pre-Ciaranisation, manning of three. Taken together with the now routine trip time increase of around ten minutes – below the level at which any fine, sorry penalty, the Department is oddly sensitive on the matter of this word, kicks in, the overall improvement promised by the DCRGA has been what we might politely call mitigated.
Of course the new Catamaran, we might be told, by those sitting in an office in Galway and drawing very large secure salaries and looking forward to secured pensions, will cure all. There seems good reason to believe that this type of boat is only marginally suitable for these waters, but it really is requiring a huge leap of faith, worthy of our local Saint Ciaran, who came here in the early years of the last millennium to convert the Irish, to believe that a half finished boat in a boat yard on which work has currently ceased, will be much help.
Anyone prepared to take bets on the actual arrival date of this often used excuse of the senior civil servants and Minister? Originally due on 1st January 2008, it coyly refused to put in an appearance at any of the dates during last year that we were told were certain for itsdebut, by DCRGA officials. The last I heard was January 1st 2009, but again either the emperor has a new boat we can’t see, or it isn’t here.
I won’t detail the situationin this item, but we also now have no heavy cargo ferry, nor a back up for light cargo for the Naomh Ciaran, and the other islands in the bay have no certain cargo ferry at all.
I would like to wish all at the DCRGA a happy and prosperous New Year, and hope that for the sake of their health and happiness they keep taking the conscience narcotics.
Ed – Editor)
