Lerwick port bosses have insisted it is business as usual as they prepare to welcome the giant Europa 2 cruise ship to the harbour, despite a planned strike.
The Hapag-Lloyd Cruises-owned Europa 2, weighing 47,000 gross tons, is currently sailing between Germany and Denmark.
It is scheduled to arrive into Lerwick and an industrial storm at midday on Monday.
Negotiations between Unite the Union and Lerwick Port Authority to avert a hugely damaging strike at the harbour seem to have collapsed.
A dozen port workers are due to walk out at one minute past midnight on Monday – some 12 hours before Europa 2’s arrival.
The colossal seven-deck, 739ft-long liner normally carries up to 500 passengers and 370 crew.
LPA chief executive Calum Grains insisted the port will remain operational, with measures in place to minimise any disruption.
‘Disappointing’
Mr Grains added: “It is very disappointing our latest offer has been rejected without any constructive proposals from Unite.
“We have offered to move shore staff onto a salaried remuneration to bring them in line with other departments and reduce working hours to improve work life balance as requested.
“Regrettably it appears strike action is now inevitable despite the earlier offers made and our repeated efforts to find a solution, which will continue.”
Cruise company keeps watch
A spokeswoman for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises said the company was in the process of “analysing the situation comprehensively”.
The cruise operator will inform its passengers “immediately” if any schedule changes are needed, she added.
Unite said “very angry” members had unanimously voted to reject an offer from the port’s bosses.
Staff due to down tools in the bitter pay and conditions dispute, which hinges on wages and work-life balance, include joiners, electricians, engineers and semi-skilled operatives.
The strike will go ahead unless any last-ditch talks later today or during the weekend resolve the workers’ many grievances.
Despite the port’s assurances, a strike has the potential to wreak havoc on ferry operations, cruise liners and the oil and gas industry, as well as general shipping.
Only this week Lerwick harbour welcomed its largest cruise ship of the season as the 102,000 gross tonne Costa Fortuna arrived at the Shetland port.
With 100 ship arrivals slated to arrive until October, port bosses will be desperately hoping for a swift resolution to the dispute.
Unite is standing firm on its insistence the port authority re-examines its offer.
“The members are very, very angry,” Unite regional officer John Clark told The Press and Journal.
He added: “As it stands we have not come to an agreement and the strike is going ahead.
“The problem is about the over-time rates and work-life balance. What has been offered, they would be actually working more hours than less.”
Work-life balance key to negotiations
Unite would not confirm details of the offer made to its members by LPA, but it appears the port authority is looking to wrap any improvement in basic wages into a salary rather than an hourly rate.
The union maintains its members’ overtime at Lerwick makes up 40% of their wage and insists this is not conducive to a fair work-life balance.
“They (LPA) have come up with a decent basic wage but they want to put it into a salary which means people who do overtime don’t get overtime,” added Mr Clark.
“They have offered a very minimal amount to be available and it is totally unacceptable.
“I have written to the authority today rejecting the offer and am waiting for them to phone me to get back round the table.”
If the working week was capped at 40 hours, the terms “would have been acceptable”, Unite said.
But as it stands staff are due to down tools in an attempt to force port bosses to renegotiate.
“If they (LPA) come up with a time and date I will speak to them,” said Mr Clark, who noted Unite would be available all weekend to avert what would be a costly walkout.
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