Staff shortage at ferries: Complaints about working conditions
There is a lack of staff on the ferries on the Kiel Canal. In addition, the first skippers complained about the working conditions, as the ferry users' interest group announced on Tuesday. The association met with the Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA) on Monday evening for a crisis meeting to discuss the situation of ferry operations on the canal.
The working conditions on the ships have led to numerous redundancies, the interest group reported. Not only is there a lack of new recruits, but existing jobs are also being lost. There have been numerous complaints about the technical conditions in the workplace, chaotic organization, violations of working time regulations and a lack of appreciation.
This was also due to the outsourcing of manning to a private company. According to the interest group, the WSA reported that the manning of the ferries was outsourced on the instructions of the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Transport. As a result, numerous jobs within the office had been cut.
The interest group also complained about technical problems on the ships. In particular, the two ferries Hochdonn and Audorf, which are over 70 years old, as well as some newly acquired hybrid ferries often caused problems. Most of the breakdowns were due to tried and tested components.
However, there were no quick solutions at the meeting: the interest group therefore called for investment in the material and structures of ferry operations on the Kiel Canal.
The Waterways and Shipping Authority, on the other hand, was very cautious about the meeting: Both sides had been brought up to date, but no further decisions had yet been made.
Prior to the meeting, the office had already announced numerous measures to combat the acute shortage of skilled workers in ferry operations. For example, the ferry operator's patent should also be accepted for ferry services in order to be able to hire people more quickly.
The interest group highlighted that the technical issues and poor working conditions have resulted in an excessive number of job losses in the transportation sector, specifically in ferry operations. Due to these problems, there's been a significant increase in complaints regarding traffic delays caused by the interruptions in shipping services.
Source: www.dpa.com
