3T6's cold shoulder
Page 16
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:OTTISH commercial vehicle erators are upset that their tempts to gain an early adviry role in the running of statevned ferry operator Caledo MacBrayne are being thmrted.
The Monopolies and Mergers ■ mmission recommended ear r this year that the Freight ansport Association and Road lulage Association should rye on the three shipping serces advisory committees lich monitor Calmac's ferry rvices on the Scottish west ast.
According to FTA Scottish ntroller Gordon Dougall, the :offish Office has recom3nded that both associations ould apply formally to serve the committees, but implied at this was largely a formality. Both associations want to gain advisory role as soon as pos)le, and are keen to serve on 3 committees when they meet Gourock, Lochboisdale (South st), and Raasay later this )nth and early next month.
Mr Dougall told CM that they :re prepared to wait outside 3 meetings until the matter of 3ir membership was consid3d, and then participate, but 3 committees have refused rmission for this, leaving the erators' representatives little oice but to wait for the next Jnd of meetings in January
We are not waiting until then," Mr Dougall warned, suggesting that the committees are employing delaying tactics and said he planned to seek an early meeting at which he and RHA Scottish manager Tom Brattin could discuss future developments with Calmac's recently-appointed chief executive, Colin Paterson.
A spokesman for the Scottish Transport Group, which controls Calmac, confirmed that the FTA's application for committee membership had been received, and it was now a matter for the local authority representatives to decide whether the trade associations can join. This would be discussed at the September/October meetings, and the outcome will be communicated to the associations.
But he added that there was certainly no question of the FTA and RHA being allowed to wait outside the next round of meetings.
Membership of the advisory committees was one of the cornerstones of the evidence which both trade associations gave to the MMC inquiry into Calmac last year. This inquiry had reported that there were faults in the relationship between the ferry company and its associate haulage company, rVlacBrayne Haulage, which received undue preference on some crossings.
The Government has given Calmac until June next year to prove that it has changed its trading methods to conform with the MMC's recommendations.