Industrial action at Manx ferry firm over new contracts halted

Evening and overnight crossings of the Manxman have been suspended since Wednesday

Industrial action by officers at a Manx ferry firm over new contracts has been halted, their union has confirmed.

It follows confirmation by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company that letters putting staff who refused to agree to new terms on notice would be rescinded.

In a statement, union Nautilus said the letters issued on 22 December had now been withdrawn and its members had been told to cease action.

The dispute centres on live aboard requirements on the new Manxman vessel.

Affected staff had been refusing to act up to cover senior roles or work overtime since 27 December.

'Avoid further disruption'

That had led to a reduction in passenger sailings to one return trip a day after a rostered officer had to take leave for personal reasons.

Nautilus represents 48 of the 70 officers employed by Steam Packet, which is a government-owned firm being run at arm's length by a board of directors.

The union's senior national organiser Garry Elliott said the latest move followed "constructive dialogue, facilitated by the Manx Industrial Relations Service" and Steam Packet had "agreed to further talks and to engaging in arbitration should talks again result in a stalemate".

"We remain committed to engaging with the company in seeking a 'genuine offer' that is acceptable without the threat of 'fire and rehire'," he added.

In a statement, the ferry firm said it "looks forward to productive discussions about resolving the remaining issues in the negotiations around changes to terms and conditions to accommodate live aboard working practices within the company's fleet".

"Both parties owe it to all stakeholders - including officers, crew, customers and Island residents - to put maximum effort into ensuring a satisfactory, lasting and final outcome to the meetings later this month in order to avoid any further disruption or uncertainty," it added.

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