Union big gun steps in to fight for the Steam Packet

Union militant Bob Crow is entering the fray in the battle over the future survival of the Steam Packet.

Controversial Mr Crow, the defiant left-wing general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT), was due in the island today (Tuesday) to meet Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne to put the case for government intervention to defend seafarers’ jobs.

Steam Packet boss Mark Woodward has warned that jobs could be lost and services cut following the launch of cargo competition by Mezeron.

Tesco and Shoprite are among the big- name customers which have switched a significant proportion of their business to the new lift-on, lift-off container service through freight company Graylaw.

Mr Crow says Mezeron is unfairly under-cutting the Steam Packet by paying oveseas crews on Estonian-registered vessels at ‘rock-bottom’ wages.

Steam Packet workers were due to lobby the 41st British and Irish Parliamentary Assembly plenary meeting at the Villa Marina this morning (Tuesday)

And at midday trade unionists from across Liverpool were to converge on the Port of Liverpool building at Pier Head to demonstrate in support of the Steam Packet campaign and against shipowners employing seafarers on rates below the minimum wage.


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