Call for Cal-Mac to locate Jobs in Islands

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s Chairman of Transportation has once again made a call for Cal-Mac to locate senior posts, within the ferry company, in the communities that they serve.

The call comes following a rejection of a request to Cal-Mac for assistance with travel costs from a film company – Limbo Productions who are planning a production in the Uists.

Cllr Robertson said: “Many businesses were affected by the disruption to ferry services over Easter and the summer. This film company coming to the Islands off-season will provide a small but significant economic boost for many of those businesses. I would have thought that Cal-Mac would recognise the good-will this would have generated and be more generous in meeting the request for travel assistance. Perhaps if some of their management posts were located in the Islands then they would have a better idea of what is important to local people and the economy.”

“This general request has been reiterated by the Comhairle and others to a wide range of transport-related government agencies and bodies over the last several years, disappointingly, with no real or meaningful progress.  Most recently, it was raised by me at the recent meeting with Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, and assurances were given by him that it will be considered along with opportunities to develop local, island-based apprenticeship and training opportunities”.

“I intend reiterating it again when we meet with Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, later this week and hope to secure a more substantive commitment from him on behalf of Scottish Government and bodies such as Transport Scotland, CalMac, CMAL and HIAL, to locating a much higher proportion of management and administrative posts within the island communities they serve”.