11 October 2011 Last updated at 00:26
The RMT is worried Caledonian MacBrayne may lose tenders for some routesUnion leaders are meeting with Transport Minister Keith Brown later to seek assurances on the future of lifeline ferry services in Scotland.
The RMT has raised concerns that routes may be “broken up” with private operators able to “cherry pick” the most lucrative ones.
The Scottish government is conducting a review[1] of how ferry services are funded and procured and how fares are set.
A public consultation on the issue was held last year.
The RMT said it was most concerned about the threat of tendering individual routes currently part of the Clyde and Hebrides network.
It said such a move was likely to lead to the loss of the service by the part-publicly owned operator, Caledonian MacBrayne.
RMT general secretary Bob Crowe said: “We have held a series of well attended meetings in the areas likely to be affected by the Scottish Ferries Review and the message that has come back loud and clear from that extensive consultation is that the public do not want their lifeline services broken apart and the lucrative routes flogged off at the expense of the rest.
“Any Scottish politician who embarked on such a programme would be on a political suicide mission.”
Ongoing dialogue
The union’s national secretary Steve Todd added: “RMT will be taking a very clear message to the Scottish Transport Minister that the lifeline ferries service must not fall victim to a dash for fragmentation and cherry picking at the expense of the comprehensive and high quality service currently provided.”
Transport Scotland said the Scottish government remained committed to supporting Scotland’s ferry services and welcomed the “valuable contribution” from the unions.
A spokesman added: “We are considering all options in the ferries review, including unbundling some of the routes from the current network and tendering them singly which could lead to the provision of these lifeline ferry services at a lower cost and provide us with an opportunity to invest elsewhere on the Scottish ferries network.
“We look forward to discussions as part of our ongoing dialogue with all of those with an interest in securing the very best deal for our ferry communities.”
A draft plan for Scotland’s ferry services is expected to be issued before Christmas.
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Union raises ferry service fears