A SCOTTISH businessman is brokering talks between firms and ferry operators in an effort to find a fix for the transport problems that have bedevilled the Scottish islands and hampered the Hebrides’ recovery from the pandemic.
Jamie McGowan, who owns five businesses and employs 40 on Harris and more than 70 across the islands and highlands, is seeking to find a way forward for firms that face delays getting raw materials to the islands and then a further wait to get products to customers.
It comes as island residents and businesses have suffered a spate of cancellations, with CalMac saying there had been more weather-related call-offs in the first seven weeks of this year compared some entire years.
The company has also been hit in the short-term with staff illness related to coronavirus, while longer term prospects continue to be broadsided with a series of failures around the delivery of two new ferries.
Mr McGowan, who owns businesses including candle company Essence of Harris, Norserv Facilities, Loomshed Hebridean Brewery, Loomshed Delhi and Love Harris Holidays, said new models of “collaborative” transport solutions could be developed.
“We rely on fresh stuff coming to the island,” he said. “I’m relying on raw materials coming to the island, and I’m relying more when people place an order online with one of my businesses to buy products for the stuff to leave the island and get to them in two or three days.
“We are in very impatient culture now and people don’t want to hear excuses that ferries are cancelled.”
READ MORE: Angry islanders hire fishing boats and inflatables after CalMac cancellations
He said CalMac and Transport Scotland responded to calls for round-table talks that will now begin on April 20.
A number of other major employers are also taking part in the initial meeting including Hotel Hebrides and Woodys Haulage.
“It is more about working collaboratively to find out what the islands needs and requirements are. The problem will always be there if people just huff and puff.
“It is time to sit round the table and say what are the business needs, what are the life needs. Let’s find a way because there is a solution.
“Does it mean that ferries leave earlier in the morning, do they leave later?”
Mr McGowan continued: “I run five companies on the Isle of Harris. It is absolutely crucial to the people that work for that I am the best version of myself that I can be every day.
“I need the people that we rely on for life support to be the same. I employ people on Orkney, Islay, Mull, Three, Colonsay, Uist, Barra and every one of these people are also affected.”
READ MORE: CalMac’s biggest customer calls for complete ferries overhaul
He said firms can be frustrated to see ferry cancellations when their local waters are calm, but CalMac has said, as was the case that Saturday, sailings can be amended around forecast weather and crossing may be different to how it looks from the port, while there is also scope to revert back to the normal timetable.
Mr McGowan arranged a flight to the mainland for his staff.
He said: “It was absolutely flat calm. The ferries were cancelled the Thursday, Friday and Saturday that week. The week before they were cancelled on the Friday.
“I’ve got eight or nine of my guys working on a contract and they go home on the ferry every Friday night to go home to their families.
“Last Friday they put the 5.30pm ferry on but they cancelled the morning ones. The Friday before I had to pay over £1000 to just to get my guys home for the weekend. It is untenable.”
Mr McGowan said further collaborative models of providing islands transport should be explored.
He said: “Loganair done us a good deal to fly all our people home.
“There is a real collaborative mindset for the islands but we just need to get the ferries right.”
A CalMac spokeswoman said on call-offs: “Cancelling sailings is always our last resort – over 70% of our staff live and work locally – and we truly understand the impact on our communities.
"We will always avoid cancellations where possible, but safety our passengers and staff must always take priority and as we are all aware, we have no spare vessels should one be damaged and taken out of service.
"Cancellation is never an easy option as it puts extra pressure on our front-line staff to cancel bookings and move passengers to alternative sailings.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel