COUNCIL STRIKE SUSPENDED
Union members in Argyll and Bute Council who had been striking over pay and conditions dramatically voted by a two-thirds majority to suspend their action at a rally in Dunoon yesterday (Thursday) afternoon.
Talks on the ongoing single status dispute on Monday at Argyll and Bute Council’s Kilmory headquarters broke down despite the fact that some progress had been made up to that point.
Events then moved quickly as further talks were held later in the week, and by Thursday morning the council and unions were able to reach a point in their negotiations where a proposal could be put to union members at Thursday’s rally.
Omens
The omens at that point were not looking good, as the two sides squabbled.
A statement from Unison, issued after Monday’s meeting, read: “Although some progress was made initially, and the union side was ready and willing to continue these discussions, the council was not prepared to proceed any further. Unison is surprised and dismayed that the council has squandered this opportunity to move towards a resolution of the dispute, but remains willing to engage in further discussions with the council.”
Argyll and Bute Council took a different view of Monday’s developments.
Disappointed
A statement issued on Tuesday stated: “The council met with the joint trade unions yesterday in an effort to avoid industrial action over the ongoing single status agreement. However, despite further concessions, the council is disappointed that the trade unions were unable to lift their threat of strike action.”
The industrial action had been escalating as a three-day strike was called by trade unions Unison and Unite over Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Public Support
As the dispute ran into its fourth week, the effect it was having on members of the public had been growing, running the risk of union’s losing public support for the strike.
Anger and frustration amongst local people was mounting as, amongst other things, bins lay unemptied, ferries were cancelled, roads were left without grit in icy conditions and children were left unable to attend supported learning units.
CalMac sailings between Dunoon and Gourock were cancelled as council-employed shore staff took part in the strike, while Rothesay-Wemyss Bay CalMac users had to endure an extra day of strike action on Monday. Refuse collection was disrupted, road gritting restricted to core working hours and many other aspects of the council’s services were also affected.
Positive Settlement
With around 200 Unison and Unite members from all over Argyll and Bute in the hall, yesterday’s rally in the Queen’s Hall opened with Donald Brown, branch chairman for Unison, congratulating members for their “solid support” during the period of action, before introducing the agreement finalised only that morning.
Mr Brown said: “The council has moved dramatically in position, and I think this is probably due to the intervention of Council Leader Dick Walsh. We now have what I believe to be a positive settlement.”
Mr Brown stated that while agreement had been reached on most outstanding aspects of the single status process, there were still some issues to resolve; in particular the question of the removal of ‘enhancements’ (overtime payments for full time manual staff), though a timescale of the end of April was set to reach agreement. Discussions on standardising the working week to 37 hours, another bone of contention, were ongoing, said Mr Brown, but he stated that he was hopeful that this could be settled within the week.
Unhappy
As questions from the floor were invited, it became clear that a number of council workers remain unhappy about the position. Care workers in particular will lose their extra weekend payments as things stand, and all those who have appealed their job evaluation grading will have to wait some time yet before this is resolved.
A motion for acceptance of the council’s revised proposals was put to the floor, and on a show of hands it was agreed that all striking staff would return to work from midnight yesterday (Thursday). Home carers were, however, asked to return to their duties from 10pm last night.
Normality
A council spokesperson said: “Following talks with Argyll and Bute Council this morning (Thursday 8th February), and subsequently with their members at a meeting in Dunoon, joint trades unions, Unison and Unite, have agreed to suspend industrial action over the Single Status agreement.
Council Leader, Councillor Dick Walsh, said: “I am encouraged to see these positive steps being taken and the council will return to normality as soon as possible to continue providing a quality service by our much valued staff.”


Speak up for Dunoon ferry – get down to Queen’s Hall tonight
Dunoon’s Pier Pressure Group is urging members of the community to come along to the public meeting on the Dunoon-Gourock ferry service tonight (Friday).
The event has been organised by Dunoon Community Council under the slogan “You got our votes, now where are the boats?”.
Campaigner Cameron Smith, who is involved with both the community council and the pressure group, said: “We have invited several politicians and councillors to attend, including Jamie McGrigor MSP and Alan Reid MP.
“Argyll and Bute councillors will be coming along, and representatives from Inverclyde have also been invited - they too have an interest in the issue.”
Despite efforts on both sides to find a mutually convenient date, Argyll and Bute MSP Jim Mather will be unable to attend Friday’s meeting, but is in regular contact with local campaigners.
Mr Mather said: “Unfortunately I am committed to events in Campbeltown and Oban which means I will not be able to attend this meeting.
“However, I will be providing a substantial statement to show that I am aligned with local aspirations, and working hard to get the solutions we need to build and grow ferry services and the local economy.
“I will also be reinforcing the output of the meeting with ministerial colleagues.”
The meeting takes place in the Queen’s Hall tonight, Friday, starting at 7.30pm - please come along to strengthen the voice of the local community as it speaks out on this crucial issue once more.


SCEPTICAL AUDIENCE HEARS ABOUT LOCH PLANS
More than 30 people from the eastern shores of Loch Fyne, from Cairndow in the north to Otter Ferry in the south, gathered in Strachur Memorial Hall on Monday evening to learn more about moves to develop a Loch Fyne coastal management plan designed to guide future development on the loch.
Very much a new concept to the Cowal shore, the new Loch Fyne Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZM) was unveiled in a presentation by Mark Steward, Marine and Coastal Development Manager for Argyll and Bute Council.
This was the first meeting to be held on the subject on the eastern side of the loch, with three earlier meetings having been held in Lochgilphead. To his credit, Mark Steward acknowledged that this was an oversight in the early days of the plan, and apologised for the delay in holding meetings on this issue outside Lochgilphead.
ICZM plans are being proposed for two Argyll sea lochs - Loch Fyne and Loch Etive - both of which have been identified by the council as being under particular development pressure. The ICZM initiative is intended to provide non-statutory guidance to Argyll and Bute Council planners when dealing with development proposals around the coastal fringes, and also to allow an objective framework for policy decision making.
Many of those present at Monday’s meeting were suspicious about the reasoning behind the ICZM project, and the potential damage which could result to the environment, and to those businesses dependent on tourism, if over-development was to be encouraged by the proposals.
Tuggy Delap of Fyne Ales, Cairndow expressed the concerns of many, saying: “I am concerned that Argyll and Bute Council will sacrifice the loch for the sake of pressure from developers. We need to take care that Loch Fyne is not turned into a marine industrial estate, and we must also remember that a great deal of people and businesses enjoy and benefit from this beautiful area.”
In reply, Mark Steward commented: “I fully agree. The ICZM aims to give planners the overview which has perhaps been lacking in the past. Planning officers should now be more easily able to look at the bigger picture, instead of dealing with applications on a case-by-case basis.”
Much of the time at the meeting was taken up in discussing an issue which, in fact, the council has no jurisdiction over - commercial trawling and fishing activity in Loch Fyne.
The depth of feeling was clear as speaker after speaker stood up to voice concerns at the apparent damage being done to the sea bed and to fish stocks by fishing boats trawling and dredging the entire length of Loch Fyne. Only a small area in Loch Shira is protected from this activity by a voluntary moratorium agreed by the Clyde Fishermen’s Association.
Iain MacGregor of Strathlachlan said: “The damage which is being done to the sea bed and to migratory and other fish stocks is terrible, and I can’t understand why it is allowed.”
Mark Steward explained that this issue did not fall within the scope of the ICZM, or indeed the council, but went on to explain that a good deal of research on the effect of ‘by-catch’ (creatures caught as an unintended consequence of fishing for another target species) on fish numbers in the Firth of Clyde was being done, with a view to preserving stocks.
The issue of trawling in Upper Loch Fyne is one which will not be addressed by the ICZM, but clearly causes great anger in communities up and down the loch.
Despite assurances that all ‘stakeholders’ would have their views considered equally, the meeting concluded with a note of caution from an audience member, who said: “This entire process seems to be focused on industrial development. There has been no consideration of tourism potential here.
“People don’t visit this area to see a loch covered in fish farms.”
The ICZM plan is still in the early stages of development, with the first draft still to be finalised. The proposals will go to public consultation later this year, before being considered for approval by the council.


GASWORKS SITE RECLAMATION
National Grid Properties (NGP) confirmed last week that the current phase of works at the old Dunoon gasworks site on Argyll Street has now ended.
Planning permission for the remediation and improvement of the former gasworks site was granted in 2004. Since then, works including the excavation of structures and treatment of soils associated with the sites previous use, have been undertaken in phases to reduce the impact on residents and take account of local ground condition and the weather.
National Grid Properties and their contractors will write to local residents to express their thanks and appreciation at the patience and co-operation they have shown during these improvement works.
Following extensive speculation over the past year that a large supermarket business had purchased the site, NGP has moved to quell the rumour mill, stating that there are no firm plans yet, and that monitoring and validation reports would first of all be required to give an idea of the status of the site and if any future works are required.
A spokesperson for NGP commented: “It is too early to speculate on an end use. Once validation reports have been studied, NGP will consider how the site can best be put back into beneficial use.”