Mezeron & Steam Packet Master Thread

[ThankU]

The IOMSP have paid Manx workers off from the Ben and replaced them with labour from S Africa and Hungary, How can they be allowed to do this and expect the IOMG to help them out.

 

I do not believe you, but if it's true then they are only a few weeks or months away from the very end.

 

 

Page 5 IOM Examiner

 

If it's in the paper then it MUST be true

 

But on a serious note... where does the Racket stand with regards to work permits?

 

 

Crews on ships don't come under work permit regulations

[Andy730]

Are there that many local staff on the boats nowadays anyway. It's a while since I've been on the Ben but there's no shortage of foreign staff on the other boats

 

There 'appears' to be a good smattering of locals on the Ben, perhaps even more then I realise. It was the Snaefell that got me thing about EU workers... One guy on the car deck managed to get me, my car and two others loaded, and parked in a spot where I couldn't open the doors to get out. When I managed to get his attention, getting him to comprehend what the problem was, was neigh on impossible.

 

That, and as mentioned earlier (cold, drafty etc.) is why I don't use that vessel.

[Andy730]

The IOMSP have paid Manx workers off from the Ben and replaced them with labour from S Africa and Hungary, How can they be allowed to do this and expect the IOMG to help them out.

 

I do not believe you, but if it's true then they are only a few weeks or months away from the very end.

 

 

Page 5 IOM Examiner

 

If it's in the paper then it MUST be true

 

But on a serious note... where does the Racket stand with regards to work permits?

 

 

Crews on ships don't come under work permit regulations

 

That answers that one..

[Amadeus]

Representatives of three maritime unions - Nautilus, the RMT and Unite - will 'picket' MHKs and MLCs, with banners and placards, when they arrive at the legislative buildings.

 

The Steam Packet's 300 Isle of Man-based staff are growing increasingly concerned for their jobs, and the Island's ferry lifeline, as the commercial pressure faced by the company increases.

 

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=48621

 

Shouldn't they be protesting outside their MD's house, as it was the company's lack of planning that got them up a certain creek without a paddle? The government trying to intervene would be outright wrong and make us look even more like a tinpot wannabe dictatorship....

[mannin1]

Representatives of three maritime unions - Nautilus, the RMT and Unite - will 'picket' MHKs and MLCs, with banners and placards, when they arrive at the legislative buildings.

 

The Steam Packet's 300 Isle of Man-based staff are growing increasingly concerned for their jobs, and the Island's ferry lifeline, as the commercial pressure faced by the company increases.

 

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=48621

 

Shouldn't they be protesting outside their MD's house, as it was the company's lack of planning that got them up a certain creek without a paddle? The government trying to intervene would be outright wrong and make us look even more like a tinpot wannabe dictatorship....

 

 

Which is exactly what we are surely?

[Sean South]

Representatives of three maritime unions - Nautilus, the RMT and Unite - will 'picket' MHKs and MLCs, with banners and placards, when they arrive at the legislative buildings.

 

The Steam Packet's 300 Isle of Man-based staff are growing increasingly concerned for their jobs, and the Island's ferry lifeline, as the commercial pressure faced by the company increases.

 

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=48621

 

Shouldn't they be protesting outside their MD's house, as it was the company's lack of planning that got them up a certain creek without a paddle? The government trying to intervene would be outright wrong and make us look even more like a tinpot wannabe dictatorship....

There's a couple of things here that I don't quite understand:

 

1. Mezeron have only been running from the Harbour, what, a month or so now? And they've already (according to the Unions and the Steam Packet CEO, almost sunk the Steam Packet? If the SPCo as a company was/is that close to the edge then the problem is far greater than one of competition is it not?

 

2. Why the hell are the Unions picketing Tynwald? What do they expect to happen as a result of their actions? If the SPCo is unable to sustain a bad couple of months surely they are not, as a company, fit for purpose as the Islands main Sea transport provider?

[P.K.]

Surely in a business in which staffing demands vary such a lot between summer and winter temporary staff make sense? What doesn't make sense is to use temporary staff as the core workforce. Of course you save on pensions, annual leave etc but you lose on experience and the ability to fix problems from accumulated knowledge.

 

I suspect that losing two salaried staff is hardly going to undermine the critical mass argument. Also the assumption is that the casuals are cheaper but it is just an assumption and swapping two permies for three casuals is not exactly going to dent the level of debt.

 

Why lobby the politicos? I can't see what you could gain by doing that other than to squeeze out some meaningless platitudes because of an up-coming election...

[Andy730]

Representatives of three maritime unions - Nautilus, the RMT and Unite - will 'picket' MHKs and MLCs, with banners and placards, when they arrive at the legislative buildings.

 

The Steam Packet's 300 Isle of Man-based staff are growing increasingly concerned for their jobs, and the Island's ferry lifeline, as the commercial pressure faced by the company increases.

 

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=48621

 

Shouldn't they be protesting outside their MD's house, as it was the company's lack of planning that got them up a certain creek without a paddle? The government trying to intervene would be outright wrong and make us look even more like a tinpot wannabe dictatorship....

There's a couple of things here that I don't quite understand:

 

1. Mezeron have only been running from the Harbour, what, a month or so now? And they've already (according to the Unions and the Steam Packet CEO, almost sunk the Steam Packet? If the SPCo as a company was/is that close to the edge then the problem is far greater than one of competition is it not?

 

2. Why the hell are the Unions picketing Tynwald? What do they expect to happen as a result of their actions? If the SPCo is unable to sustain a bad couple of months surely they are not, as a company, fit for purpose as the Islands main Sea transport provider?

 

I suspect that the answer to #1 is that the initial drain on the Racket started over a year ago with the Ingeborg Pilot. I think the reason why Tesco didn't move to Mezeron at the time was due to the location of the UK port and the times of the planned arrivals here (i.e. to suit the tide in Glasson)

 

I agree with you on #2, their picket is in the wrong place. And what they hope to achieve is unclear, that's assuming the aim is to achieve something positive.

[EORH]

I think that what they hope to achieve is to instill fear in the Prospect Hill gang,and maybe a bailout from the taxpayer to boot.

if most of the staff are not local and don't pay tax here,it is up to the IOMSP to sort out their own problems if there are job losses,but it will be interesting to see what comment's our elected jobsworths will come up with.

[tonythetash]

Apparently Mr W is on about £400k pa + and fellow directors on £200k ave, before any profit related bonus and expenses. Then there is the non-execs and some of the former high flyers who act as consultants and advisor's. If true this is quite a wage bill to cover before any of the other running costs an salaries are taken into account.

Perhaps it is another government department after all! They just haven't told us about it!

[Andy730]

I think that what they hope to achieve is to instill fear in the Prospect Hill gang,and maybe a bailout from the taxpayer to boot.

if most of the staff are not local and don't pay tax here,it is up to the IOMSP to sort out their own problems if there are job losses,but it will be interesting to see what comment's our elected jobsworths will come up with.

 

There will be many people (myself included) that will be against a taxpayer bail out for a private company.

[tonythetash]

I think that what they hope to achieve is to instill fear in the Prospect Hill gang,and maybe a bailout from the taxpayer to boot.

if most of the staff are not local and don't pay tax here,it is up to the IOMSP to sort out their own problems if there are job losses,but it will be interesting to see what comment's our elected jobsworths will come up with.

 

There will be many people (myself included) that will be against a taxpayer bail out for a private company.

 

Agree with you there but we all felt the same about Manx Gas! Did our politicians give a toss about public feeling there?

[Barrie Stevens]

I think that what they hope to achieve is to instill fear in the Prospect Hill gang,and maybe a bailout from the taxpayer to boot.

if most of the staff are not local and don't pay tax here,it is up to the IOMSP to sort out their own problems if there are job losses,but it will be interesting to see what comment's our elected jobsworths will come up with.

 

There will be many people (myself included) that will be against a taxpayer bail out for a private company.

 

 

Has anyone got a link to where we can actually read the full text of the Linkspan User Agreement word for word plus amendments?

[GD4ELI]

I think that what they hope to achieve is to instill fear in the Prospect Hill gang,and maybe a bailout from the taxpayer to boot.

if most of the staff are not local and don't pay tax here,it is up to the IOMSP to sort out their own problems if there are job losses,but it will be interesting to see what comment's our elected jobsworths will come up with.

 

There will be many people (myself included) that will be against a taxpayer bail out for a private company.

 

As is your great leader. Anyone with an atom of business sense can see that the Racket is stuffed, based on current prices and rotten service I couldn't care less.

[b4mbi]

It's my opinion that under no circumstances should there be a Government bailout using taxpayers money (in any case, is there anything left?!)

 

Whether or not the Government had the power to force owners to sell the IOM operating company (IOMSPC) would be interesting.

 

Presumably, if IOMSPC want to renegotiate the User Agreement, then a condition of the renegotiation would be the sale of the operating company and safeguarding of jobs for a minimum amount of time or payoff?

 

However, for services to be maintained with current fleet, the Portugese Bank needs to be involved as they must have a first priority mortgage charge over both the Ben and the Manannan and then depends what other securities it has?

Corporate guarantees from IOMSPC or another group company?