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Cape Clear SUBSIDISED Ferry Operator Pleads Poverty
(“emara News” 2nd June 2009)Ciaran O’Driscoll, the operator and owner of the Naomh Ciaran ii., recently cut the wages of the skippers and crew of the island’s lifeline ferry by an average of 25% and appealed to themto work four weeks of their time off, for free, during the summer, as falling passenger numberswere making it difficult for him to compete in these hard economic times.These appeals went unheeded by the ferry workers, who have neither noticed a cut in their costs of living, nor any reduction in the State subsidy to the ferry. This subsidy is rising everyyear and now stands at, we believe two hundred and sixty thousand Euro for this year.The workers are members of SIPTU, which despite repeated attempts to discuss these wagecuts, Has failed to resolve the issue over the past few weeks, with at total silence being theowner/operator’s only response.Notice was issued for an official strike this Thursday, 4th June, from 8.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.The Senior Skipper received a letter, handed to him by Ciaran O’Driscoll, during the return tripfrom Baltimore on Sunday evening. This brief note was the only dismissal notice FachtnaO’Driscoll (not a close relative), received of the immediate loss of a job he had held for twoyears, following the removal of the previous Senior Skipper by the operator on obtaining theferry service contract from the Dept. Of Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.Fachtna had joined the ferry crew, as a State employee, in June 1975, and has an exemplaryrecord onboard ever since, serving as crew, third and second Skipper.Since the owner/operator had also sacked a member of the crew, Fachtna’s son – the other crew member resigning in protest – at the time of his take over, Fachtna was the only reallyexperienced ferryman left on the service. Again the owner/operator cited economic hardship ashis only reason for dismissing this long-serving servant of the island community. It is verydifficult to accept the veracity of this “poor mouthing” from a man in receipt of a State subsidywhich must cover the total wage bill of actual ferrymen and the fuel used by the Naomh Ciaran.We can only conclude that if he is so strapped for cash the wages of the office staff (his wife), ,or the fees of the directors (himself and his son Aedan – who is now also a Skipper andpresumably paid as such -),of the holiday house company, wholly owned by the O’Driscollfamily, which for some abstruse reason of their own, is in fact the legal entity holding thecontract for the Cape Clear service, must be generous to a fault. Perhaps it would have beenmore sensible to look in that direction for savings!The news of this sudden, probably illegal, sacking got to Cape before the Naomh Ciaran and acrowd gathered on the pier to greet her arrival.There were estimated to be around fifty members of the community, from all over the islandand across the age range from 20s to well beyond that of accession to the State Pension. Italso included one dog.Fachtna was cheered off the boat, but the owner/operator was met which such a torrent of theexpression of the islanders’ feelings that he seemed to find himself incapable of leaving either the wheelhouse or the boat for some time. It is a testimony to the self-restraint of the localcommunity and God, - who at one point was called upon to “nail him now and save the islandmore trouble in the future.” – that no violence was done, in the furiously outraged atmosphere.The owner/operator chose to follow what seems to have become his policy in ferry matters, of saying nothing.The Naomh Ciaran was skippered and crewed yesterday by O’Driscoll himself, his son andwife. The other ferry workers felt themselves unable to go to sea. “emara News” has nostatement from them, but their is a rumour running that they may have contracted Swine Flu
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Nevin

Naomh Ciaran II is up for sale http://goo.gl/hA5uI

reply01 / 13 / 2011
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