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RMT calls for nationalisation of Northern Isle ferry service

A “LIFELINE” ferry operator in Scotland should be seized back from privateers and run as a public good, transport union RMT said yesterday.

Northlink Ferries, which runs boats between the north of Scotland and the Orkney and Shetland islands, is currently contracted to outsourcing giant Serco.

RMT said Northlink received a 10 per cent increase in its subsidy from the public purse when it took over the service in 2012 from Caledonian MacBrayne, a publicly owned operator of ferries in other parts of Scotland.

According to the union, Northlink’s five vessels carried over 300,000 passengers and over 60,000 vehicles on three routes.

RMT national secretary Steve Todd said: “It is a scandal that these essential transport services are in the hands of profiteers.”

The union has launched a petition calling for ferries to the northern islands to be returned to the public sector when Serco’s contract expires in 2018.

The union is also distributing postcards for workers and passengers to send to members of the Scottish Parliament, urging them to support such a change.

RMT leader Mick Cash said: “The Northern Isles communities deserve lower fares, more frequent sailings and improved on-board services, on properly staffed and funded vessels.

“We believe a growing and more reliable service can only be achieved through public ownership and operation and that is why we are launching this campaign."

Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said in February that the ferry service could be brought back under government control if EU rules allow it.

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