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FTA calls for 'no strike' contracts
Page 13
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by David Harris CROSS-CHANNEL ferry operators should only employ staff who agree not to strike, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) says. The FLA called for the strike ban after the dispute among SeaFrance staff, which caused chaos on the roads leading to Dover, with Operation Stack in place on the M20.
FTA external affairs director Geoff Dossefter says: "The fact that the removal of a single ferry operator can reduce cross-Channel capacity and cause the problems we saw this week shows the sensitivity of the situation. Cross-Channel services are so important to international trade that personnel should be employed on a no-strike contract basis.
The FTA says Operation Stack costs the transport industry about £500,000 a day, with operating costs per truck on the M20 at about £40 an hour. Last week, delays averaged four hours, with 3,000 vehicles heading for France daily. The FTA is also pressing for compensation for truck operators and an adequate lorry park in Kent.
FTA's Geoff Dossetter
Among the frustrated drivers last week was Bernard Coupeland, who works for the Dutch company Nedexco. He says the police officers on Operation Stack offer very little information on how long delays might be. "You ask a copper a question and they couldn't care less."
Coupeland adds that toilets are 3km apart and that there is little food or drink available. "Some burger vans wanted to set up and they wouldn't let them,he says. But it wasn't all bad, Coupeland adds. He has nothing but praise for the staff at Eurotunnel, "They were very good. They realised we had been waiting for hours and brought out water and coffee, which we really appreciated.
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