Plymouth passengers still stranded as French ferry strike goes on
FERRY passengers remain stranded and struggling to return home as a workers’ strike continues “indefinitely”.
French staff are taking action over Brittany Ferries cutbacks which include changes to working hours and conditions.
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Plymouth passengers still stranded as French ferry strike goes on
Company bosses have been in talks with crew unions over the weekend at the company’s head office in Roscoff.
Among Plymouth-bound passengers affected by “exhausting” and costly disruptions were Polly and Matt Waterman.
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The cancellation of their Roscoff-to-Plymouth ferry on Friday meant a more than 400-mile drive to Calais for a ferry to Dover. After an overnight stay in Kent, they drove a further 280 miles home to Plymouth.
Polly, 32, from the Barbican, said: “We had a great crossing on the way out to France and it was a shame that the strike caused such great disruption on the return leg. We were disappointed that they expected us to drive to Calais and then to Plymouth as it was emotionally exhausting and left us considerably out of pocket.”
Last week, nearly 500 city-bound passengers were left stranded and queuing in Roscoff.
Hundreds more were left at the port on Thursday night by a sudden second wave of strikes.
A spokesperson for Brittany Ferries said: “As yet, no agreement has been reached which will enable the company to resume services which therefore remain suspended.
“Brittany Ferries very much regrets the effect that the disruption is having on its customers and would like to reassure everyone that the management is working hard to reach a swift end to the dispute.”
Customers are advised to travel to Dover where the company has special arrangements in place with P&O Ferries and MyFerryLink to accept Brittany Ferries tickets. The company spokesman said full refunds would be given for the unused crossings during the “indefinite stoppage”.
Comments
by BettyD
Wednesday, September 26 2012, 12:29AM
“Trouble is businesses that use Brittany ferries to transport goods to mainland Europe because its the quickest way are now going to ports such as Portsmouth Southampton Dover and using P & O. If P & O provide a better service it will be another nail in Plymouths coffin”
by BettyD
Wednesday, September 26 2012, 12:29AM
“Trouble is businesses that use Brittany ferries to transport goods to mainland Europe because its the quickest way are now going to ports such as Portsmouth Southampton Dover and using P & O. If P & O provide a better service it will be another nail in Plymouths coffin”
by BettyD
Wednesday, September 26 2012, 12:28AM
“Trouble is businesses that use Brittany ferries to transport goods to mainland Europe because its the quickest way are now going to ports such as Portsmouth Southampton Dover and using P & O. If P & O provide a better service it will be another nail in Plymouths coffin”
by chrisplym0000
Wednesday, September 26 2012, 12:01AM
“Plenty of local services in Millbay for those who seek excitement I suppose.”
by Winstonsmith0
Tuesday, September 25 2012, 7:57PM
“If ordinary people in Plymouth acted a bit more like the French and actually got involved then I suspect we would still have the airport, not have the incinerator (for two other authorities) being built inside the city and we would have an improved rail service to suggest just three.
Problem is, too many apathetic folk in this dying city cannot be bothered to get involved so Plymouth gets what it deserves.
Will any more than a few complain when we learn of the closure of Plymouth ferry port following the strike if it goes on for long? It's already costing businesses their livelihoods.
Plymouth; space of waste.”
by TheRedeemer89
Tuesday, September 25 2012, 1:18PM
“I understand that this will be a huge inconvenience for any passengers stranded in France and a disappointment to passengers who've had to cancel or rearrange their trip from Plymouth and indeed my heart goes out to them.
However, you have to admire the French union for their effectiveness and willingness to stand up for their rights. The trade unions in Britain could be instrumental in putting a stop to this Government's incompetent and ruthless austerity policies but are being suppressed and deterred by trade union bureaucrats who see no reason to strike so long as they continue to get their £100,000 a year salaries. Not to mention Ed Miliband, who is so far removed from the workers he supposedly represents that he might as well be dubbed the diet tory alternative.
I really hope the trade unions pull their finger out and get together a good turnout for the Trade Unions Congress demonstration on October 20th. More importantly it'd be nice to see more participation from below so that we see the rank and file of the unions pushing for more action. We're all suffering from these cuts and if more was done to resist the cuts or at least close the loopholes to prevent legal tax avoidance from huge corporations, we'd all be much better off and we'd all feel a little bit more confident that we are all in this together not in it for the bloated bankers' bonuses.”