Manx passenger ferry services cut due to work-to-rule

Evening and overnight crossings of the Manxman have been scrapped

Manx passenger ferry services have been cut to one a day due to industrial action, the operator has said.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said only one daytime sailing of the Manxman would take place between Douglas and Heysham for a fortnight

Work-to-rule by members of the Nautilus union mean there is no cover for a rostered officer who had taken leave for personal reasons, the company said.

The union has been contacted for a comment.

A spokesperson for the Steam Packet said a back-up vessel, MV Arrow, would carry out overnight freight services for this period.

The union is in dispute with the ferry company about proposed new contracts.

MV Arrow will be doing overnight freight journeys

Those who had not signed the new contracts were put on 12 weeks' notice on 22 December.

Nautilus represents 48 of the ferry company's 70 officers.

Its members began taking industrial action, which has seen them refuse to work overtime or act up to cover senior positions, at 18:00 GMT on 27 December.

In a statement the government-owned company said, as a result of the industrial action, "no fellow officers will swap shifts or cover the absence via paid overtime".

The daily passenger crossing of the vessel will leave for Heysham at 08:00 GMT, with its Douglas-bound return scheduled for 14:15 each day.

The company said: "While this will affect a relatively large number of sailings... the company has tried to minimise disruption by maintaining the [most] popular daytime sailings for passengers travelling to and from the Isle of Man.

"All passengers on affected sailings will be contacted by the reservations team and offered transfers or full refunds."

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