‘We’re sorry for disruption,’ says ferry union boss…
The union boss who instigated a summer-long blockade at Calais has apologised for the disruption caused to British travellers – but he warned of possible further action next month.
MyFerryLink staff occupied two ferries at the French port and blocked the Channel Tunnel repeatedly from June in protests over job losses when the company, owned by Eurotunnel, was shut down and the ships sold to DFDS.
The disruption to cross-Channel services caused numerous days of tailbacks on the M20 in Kent, for which Eric Vercoutre of the union Syndicat Maritime Nord, which finally reached an agreement with the French government, DFDS and Eurotunnel last week, apologised.
We’re truly sorry about what happened," he said, before warning that there could be more action in October.
"If, on the 1st October, we don’t get the redundancy payments that we’re legally entitled to and our September wages we’ll blockade the port again," he said.
In addition to the redundancy payments, DFDS and Eurotunnel agreed to re-employ 402 Myferrylink workers.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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