The public holiday is in full swing and tourists from home and abroad are flocking to the coast of Northern Norway and Western Norway. The combination of many cars and free ferries has created major problems for those in charge of ferry traffic. At the weekend, it peaked on the popular Kystriksveien between Bodø and Steinkjer – called the world’s most beautiful travel route. It was complete chaos when 100 motorhomes were left on the ferry quay when the last ferry had left for the evening on the connection Jektvik – Kilboghamn. This is what it looked like when 100 motorhomes were left at the harbor at Jektvik after the last ferry had left. Photo: Privat On Sunday, the Swedish Road Traffic Center issued a warning that motorists should consider detouring over Saltfjellet to avoid overnighting at the ferry quay – a seven-hour drive of 40 miles. Reacted immediately This prompted Nordland County Council, which has the ultimate responsibility for all boat traffic in the county, and the ferry company Torghatten Nord to react. – In dialogue with the shipping company and Rødøy municipality, we have taken away the rest time for the crew on the B-ferry “Rødøy”. We achieve this by concentrating their working hours, explained county councilor for transport Marianne Dobak Kvensjø. The ferry trip between Jektvik and Kilboghamn takes one hour. Photo: Frank Nygård / news – Breaks the main agreement The Seafarers’ Union, which organizes several employees on board, reacts strongly to the fact that their members were given new duty schedules overnight. – This has not been discussed with the main union representative or the Seamen’s Union, says Jahn Cato Bakken, deputy chairman of the Norwegian Seamen’s Union. When news first spoke to the trade union, they were not aware of the changes. – It is possible that the parties had agreed on the same thing, but the dialogue with the main shop steward is important, Jahn Cato Bakken believes. Photo: Ole Palmstrøm / LO Media – When the employer changes the duty schedule of the employees, the main shop steward must be connected. The main agreement states that changes to work schedules must be discussed with the union representatives in advance. And the agreement we have says that it must happen at least 14 days in advance, says Bakken and adds: – There are no restrictions on whether there are temporary or permanent changes, he claims. Torghatten Nord informs news that the shipping company has been in contact with the crew before they changed the watch schedule. But this is not enough, says Bakken. A later start in the B route provides a better ferry service during the day. Photo: Frank Nygård / news – It is the main union representative who can commit on behalf of the crew, and for all we know the employer can talk to people who are not organized. He points out that the changes may thus affect employees who have not had the opportunity to express themselves. Torghatten believes they are keeping the agreement Marius Hansen, managing director of Torghatten Nord, is happy that they have now come up with a solution that can overcome the long queues. – We would like to praise the crew for being solution-oriented and putting passengers and ferry traffic first. Torghatten has had a close dialogue with the crew about shift plan changes, says Marius Hansen, managing director of Torghatten Nord AS. Photo: Torghatten Torghatten Nord’s manager says that they usually do not contact the main shop steward if there is a question of temporary changes. – When we change the shift plan temporarily, it is normal practice on our part that we do this in close dialogue with the crew. He believes Torghatten as an employer has behaved within the existing agreements. “Temporary changes to the shift plan, based on, for example, changed traffic needs, are not made without the employees having been involved in discussions about this, and where the rest time provisions have been taken care of,” he says. Ferry passengers Asbjørn and Rita Oddny Aas are traveling north to Bodø from Stjørdal. They have heard about the ferry chaos, but have not been deterred. – It’s probably worst for those going south, they say. Photo: Frank Nygård / news – We have worked together with Nordland county council and the ferry in connection, those who know where the shoes press. And adds: – Torghatten Nord works closely with the trade unions, and the tripartite collaboration is respected and considered valuable. The Swedish ferry captain Joakim Risberg has a summer job on board the MF “Rødøy”. He is satisfied with the new working hours. Ferry captain Joakim Risberg on MF Rødøy is satisfied with more consistent rest time. Photo: Frank Nygård / news – We have skipped the midday break we have had on weekdays and will start later in the day. It is better for the passengers and we get more continuous rest time, he says. – You don’t have to be a rocket scientist The deputy leader of the Seamen’s Association criticizes Nordland county council for weak planning before the summer season. – You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand that the pressure is increasing. This is nothing new. Bakken says that if this was planned better in advance, the trade union could also be involved earlier in the process. – It is because the crew who work on the ferry must have predictability if they are in a life situation that means they have to change things, says Bakken. The mayor: – A nightmare Between 2019 and 2023, traffic on county road 17, popularly called Kystriksveien, increased by 20 per cent. Rødøy mayor Inger Monsen agrees that the planning could have been better. – It has been crazy chaos. We bring this up every single year, and we brought it up ahead of the season. This is not only problematic for the visitors, it is a nightmare for us who live here. You have to be better prepared for this. It is unlikely that there will be less traffic, she says. County councilor for transport Marianne Dobak Kvensjø (H) points to several reasons for the cause of the chaos. – Much of this comes from the fact that we have received free ferries, which increase demand, and then the krone exchange rate and good weather in the north have probably meant that many people want to holiday in Nordland. But it creates some challenges. At the same time, she adds that several measures have been taken to meet these challenges. – We have increased the frequency of several connections and put in more ferries to take away the summer traffic. Then we sometimes see that the traffic is higher than we had imagined. We have started a comprehensive process to look at our tender processes, in order to be able to hit better next summer, both on traffic flow and on ferry equipment. Published 24/07/2024, at 20.39
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Changes the duty schedule of the crew to solve the ferry chaos – news Nordland
