Strikes on Red Funnel’s East Cowes-Southampton ferry service have now ended as workers have voted to accept a 2-year pay deal worth up to 18.3% for the lowest paid workers.
More than 140 workers who work as customer service staff, shunters and ratings, will benefit from the deal.
As well as pay rises of between 13.4% and 18.3%, the deal includes improvements to paid leave, sick pay, food allowances and health benefits.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has said:
“Our members at Red Funnel stood together to fight for better wages and won. This is just the latest example of how Unite’s total focus on improving jobs, pay and conditions is delivering for our members.”
The workers will receive immediate pay rises of 4.5% – rising to 6.3% for the lowest paid – backdated to January 2022. From January 2023, a pay increase of 8.6%, rising to 11.3% for the lowest paid, will be implemented.
Fran Collins, Chief Executive at Red Funnel, has said:
“I am very pleased that Unite members voted in such numbers to accept our two-year pay offer, and as a result industrial action will cease and we will continue operating our service as normal.
“Our focus throughout this period has been to secure a sustainable future for the business. It is also important to us that we have been able to recognise and reward all our colleagues during these unstable times.
“Now that a resolution has been finalised, we are committed to working with all our colleagues to focus on rebuilding our teams and moving forward together.
“We remain fully committed to doing all we can to ensure maximum travel choice and connectivity for island residents, visitors and businesses, promoting the long-term success of the Island economy.”
Strike action was halted last Monday when discussions led to some positive steps forward, as previously reported by Island Echo.
So the workforce accepted what they were originally offered, and agreed to a lower than inflation pay rise next year…
Are the unite bosses taking back handers again? And got their union banners in the paper
Little man screwed again
Wish I had a pay rise off any sort, I just have to put in more hours to make ends meet and to pay the boat fare increases this will inevitably lead to.
this will mean ferry fares will go up again, forcing more customers to think twice about using the ferrys
But they’ve given RF the excuse they wanted further to reduce services (and therefore staff), having shown that Islanders will put up with the reduced strike-day service.
Unite seems have succeeded in shooting itself and its members in the foot.
18% is not below inflation, yet, however the traveling public will have to pay the price….more pay eqels more inflation….
It’s a 2 year deal and both years rises are lower than inflation
4.5% is below inflation and the 8.6% next year will likely be below inflation again.
I got screwed by the post office union in the 80’s. Never trusted any union again. Got a written warning and told I should resign for too much time off ill. I was in hospital FFS after being ran over on the job when a guy mounted the pavement and put me in intensive care. The union did nothing to help me out!
Possibly but show me another iow employer paying 9%+ per year?
The way things are going no local kids will be able to live here. It’ll be a retirement home for dfl’s and social deports from the North Island hi
We have had a 9% pay rise this year, my neighbour 11% and my wife 13%. i think you are out of touch on what really is happening on the employment situation on the island
It is not what they were originally offered. The original offer was derisory which is why there was strike action.
Talks between management and Unite officials resulted in this improved offer.
Try reading both the article and the background before making ridiculous comments
Watch all ticket prices rise very soon
Followed by a 20% fare increase
This is exactly what many employees do not comprehend, they simply spit the dummy out, demand more wages and threaten to strike and then shock horror as everything around them in all industries hikes up in price and always above the average payrise ! of course profit should not be a dirty word and the more investment a company makes the more the return on investment they want !
well you lovely paying customers you know what’s coming ?
Yep. This time next year you will be looking at return ticket up to £400.
That fixed link looking any more attractive?
I think it is.
Makes me think. If Red Funnel can settle a dispute, why can’t everyone else?
It’ll be paid for by a huge fare increase. If every employer put wages up by this much, just imagine how much the price of everything would go up then
Wish I had a pay rise of any sort to help pay for the fares increase which will follow soon
strike settled and already cancelling ferries
A lot of people on here just don’t realise that RF staff on the ground are very poorly paid and need a decent pay rise. RF are no different to any other PLC, they don’t care about the customers or the employees, it’s the shareholders that matter with their inflated dividends. Government won’t do anything about the ferry problems as our MP and members of his family are shareholders.
For years the lower members of staff, usually the ones that get the brunt of the abuse on a daily basis that should be aimed higher up the managerial ladder, have been lowly paid. Most certainly a lot less than Wightlink staff. This deserved pay award is 18% over two years and is based on a pay rate of £9.09 and not the £10.50 per hour that is law. This is stil well below what is paid by their competitors. Well done to them. How about reducing the extortionate payouts to the fat cat shareholders to keep the fares down?
IMO Ithink that the ferrys fairs are to cheap,
they should double them to help keep the rif raf OUT.