Wightlink is to operate a revised timetable on its Yarmouth-Lymington service tomorrow (Sunday) due to staff shortages. It’s said that the absence of an essential crew member means a revised timetable will be in force. All affected customers have been contacted and moved to alternative sailings. Wightlink says it sincerely apologises for the inconvenience this action will cause, but they have been unable to source ‘short notice’ cover. For full details of the revised timetable visit www.wightlink.co.uk/updates.
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We can help with staff there’s loads of us willing to help, it’s the sad lonely old men who got the issue
Wightlink – SERIOUSLY?!?!
Just how many times has this occurred in the last year alone?!
People have appointments and time critical things to get to and all you can say is ‘sorry for the inconvenience’.
Like Red Funnel, these excuses no longer hold any water or are believable.
Both companies are overloaded with Debt, dumped onto them by Venture Capital Companies, grossly understaffed (when it comes to Customer facing staff), yet the Shareholders still reap the rewards of Dividends from ‘profits’.
But when something like this happens, there are always cries of ‘insufficient profits’.
Used to have availability,but poor morale and conditions and lack of overtime pay causes this. They need to have back up crews ready at all times it’s a public service.
Unfortunately it’s not a public service, it’s a private enterprise operation. Just the sort of thing Tories are so keen on. So expect no help from Dr Robert Seely MBE MP, foa ll his posturing.
Plenty of space to reallocate passengers means too few passengers booked to make all sailings viable! Funny how crew members often vanish at times like this.
All these ‘essential crew members’ are just a result of Health and Safety OTT tick sheet filling.
So unless a trained person, in other words someone has sat in front of a computer and identified either ‘fire’ ‘illness’ ‘terrorist’ ‘ev fires’ or a myriad of ‘other’ unlikely incidents, which anyone with common sense WOULD have dealt equally as effectively with, then the ferry cant run.
Such is only necessary, NOT because firms are ‘more caring’ but because the public aided by No win- No fee lawyers have created this society whereby ‘compo’ is the first thing the public seek when an accident or incident occurs.
Adding to the cost for firms on the grounds of safety, yet endless unchecked new arrivals fill our land daily. Madness
No!
External H&S rules are essential to stop the operators cutting corners and risking our lives.
The fares we pay are quite enough to employ sufficient trained staff to cover absence.
They would rather cancel a crossing when someone calls in sick. After all, it saves a lot of money in fuel they don’t have to burn. Win-win!
Every single crew member has to be capable of the H&S needs, and every boat has a minimum staffing requirement. Someone to drive, someone to chuck the rope, someone to open the doors, someone to direct the traffic, someone on the deck etc etc. These are the essential staff, a legal requirement in the event of an accident and regardless of NWNF lawyers. Or maybe you’d prefer a skeleton staff and the risk of drowning? Not sure the elderly, disabled, children would share your view on that, but as long as you can swim, eh?
ENOUGHT…
I think we are all beyond fed up with the so called service these ferry firms provide( don’t)
Time for a rethink
I was against a fixed link, now I see no alterative.
Get a life it will take 30 years to build minimum. Who in there right mind would invest there money to build it for the sake of 130000 people.
ENOUGHT [sic] indeed. In fact, ENOUGHT [sic] is ENOUGHT [sic].
Oh and there will never be a fixed link because it would cost billions and no government has that kind of money to waste on a fixed link to a holiday island. Get over it.
One member of staff can cause such havoc? No multi-skilling, no standby staff, in fact no visible management at all. The sooner WL and RF go bust and revert to public ownership the better.
Build a Bridge or Tunnel
Staff shortages will not affect either
You’re a builder. Offer them a quote Paul.
100% reliable as always .. Well done Wightlink.
Yawn.same old same old.
Utterly lame excuse as always
Such a shame its not even true! But they obv think we believe them.
Shambles service.a disgrace as islanders cant make plans anymore
The rubber dinghy mob run a more reliable service. Yet they are invading our country and get away with it.
There’s a RNLI taxi service waiting in Yarmouth harbour just to help any errant dinghy….
Yes we all get it we are hostages here.
Wightlink aka the Solent Pirates .. rob you then hold everyone to ransom with such dire service .. the CEO will no doubt spew some BS story, his management is questionable.. and little chance of any Service improvement.. and the weak, incompetent MP will do nowt .. as always.
This because a few years ago Wightlink brought in new contracts; those on lower scale were downgraded and had no chance for promotions or upgrades and new recruits were paid less and with fewer employment safeguards. This has led to many old hands leaving and being replaced by lower paid staff on fixed term contracts only and a culture of fire and re-hire to stop continuous employment rights. No wonder they’re short of staff, no one can plan for life on that basis.
Of course now that they have announced tomorrow’s cancellations and adjusted the timetable accordingly, on Sunday they can proudly announce “All ferries running to timetable”. Clever isn’t it?
Could someone tell me which agency they have tried to get replacement staff from, and what are the requirements needed for the job.?
Jo R The position was chief light bulb changer, the fog light had stopped working, although no fog yesterday… they cannot operate without an essential light bulb changer ..
Ferry not full enough so it’s cancelled, there I fixed the headline
There seems to be strong smell of muck spreading round wightlink these days….