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Bumper bonuses for CalMac bosses an ‘insult’ to island communities

The SNP Government have today been accused of “insulting” island communities by sanctioning bonus payments of almost £2million to CalMac bosses.

Research by the Scottish Conservatives has uncovered that a total of £1.8 million in bonuses was paid out in the 2023-2024 financial year, despite the chief executive of the state-owned ferry firm, Robbie Drummond, being sacked at the end of it due to concerns over ‘operational performance’.

CalMac – which has a depleted network while it waits for the two long-delayed Ferguson Marine ferries to come into service – cancelled a record 3,215 sailings due to technical faults between January and September 2023.

Shadow transport spokesperson Graham Simpson called on transport secretary Fiona Hyslop to explain how these “astounding” bonuses could possibly be justified when huge sums of money had already been squandered on “the SNP’s ferries scandal”.

Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister Graham Simpson MSP said: “These astounding bonus awards are a fresh insult to Scotland’s island communities, which have been betrayed at every turn by this incompetent SNP Government.

“Fiona Hyslop needs to explain to the public how and why SNP ministers can possibly justify awarding these lavish bonuses to CalMac bosses at the same time as they fired Robbie Drummond as chief executive for performance-related issues. Even more so in the face of £500 million cuts that the SNP have made to countless key services across Scotland.

“Yes, CalMac have been saddled with an ageing, decrepit fleet thanks to the SNP’s botched procurement, but these awards will rightly stick in the throat of ferry users given the record number of cancelled sailings they have been forced to endure.

“It looks like a reward for failure.

“These bonuses will also enrage Scottish taxpayers, who have watched on in horror as the bill for the SNP’s ferries scandal has soared, with the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa a shocking £300 million over budget and still not finished.”

 

Notes

CalMac paid out £1.8 million in bonus payments in 2023-2024 financial year. Scottish Conservative research shows that in the 2023-2024 financial year CalMac paid out £1.8 million in bonus payments. (Freedom of Information request, available on request).

 

Robbie Drummond sacked as CalMac Chief executive. On 3rd April 2024 Robbie Drummond stepped down as Chief executive of CalMac with immediate effect after a review was undertaken of the executive leadership. (BBC News, 3 April 2024, link).

 

CalMac cancellations due to technical faults increased by almost 2,000% between 2010 and 2023. In 2010 there were only 217 cancellations due to technical faults. This compares to 3,215 cancellations due to technical faults between January and September 2023. If cancellations due to technical faults were to continue at the same rate as the first 9 months of 2023 there would be 4,286 cancellations due to technical faults, which is an increase of 1,875% since 2010. (STV News, 29 June 2023, link).

 

CalMac cancelled a record 3,215 sailings due to technical faults in only the first nine months of 2023. Between January and September 2023, CalMac cancelled a record 3,215 sailing due to technical faults. This is more than every calendar year since 2010. This is an increase of 75% on 2022, when there were 1,830 cancellations due to technical faults, and more than double the number of technical faults in 2021 – 1,563. (STV News, 29 June 2023, link)

The SNP have announced £500 million of cuts to services across Scotland. To deal with the SNP’s mismanagement of the Scottish budget the Finance Secretary was forced to announced £500 million of cuts to the Scottish Budget for the current 2024-25 financial year in order to balance the books. (BBC News, 3 September 2024, link)