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Attempts to re-establish Hoverspeed
Hoverspeed, the Dover company that until last November operated fast ferries to Calais, is trying to re-establish itself since parent company Sea Containers pulled the plug.
Reported to be leading the attempt to re-establish Hoverspeed, possibly with a management buyout, is the tough-talking Australian managing director Geoffrey Ede who still keeps an office near the now disused Dover international hoverport.
But he and his colleagues have been warned by the ships officers' union Numast that if Hoverspeed should re-emerge on the English Channel it will continue its battle to force the company to give it recognition.
Numast has already claimed victory when, last year, the Central Arbitration Committee upheld its application for recognition by the company for collective bargaining.
A Numast spokesman says that since the decision in its favour Hoverspeed has "tried to wheel out every excuse in the book" for continuing to refuse any dialogue with the union.
"This is unacceptable and we will fight to ensure the recognition ruling is enforced on whoever picks up the remnants of Hoverspeed," he adds.
Hoverspeed, at an earlier stage operating hovercraft to France, obtained its name as a result of a merger between Seaspeed in Dover and Hoverlloyd at Ramsgate.
Seaspeed was originally an arm of British Rail while Hoverlloyd was a Swedish company jointly owned by Swedish Lloyd and Swedish America Line.
Neither was making profits so they merged in 1981 to be based at Dover.
Three years later Hoverspeed was sold to its own directors, who in 1986 sold the company to Sea Containers, which eventually ditched the hovercraft and brought in Seacats between Dover and Calais.
But there were still not sufficient profits for Sea Containers so it axed the service in November, making scores of people redundant
Reported to be leading the attempt to re-establish Hoverspeed, possibly with a management buyout, is the tough-talking Australian managing director Geoffrey Ede who still keeps an office near the now disused Dover international hoverport.
But he and his colleagues have been warned by the ships officers' union Numast that if Hoverspeed should re-emerge on the English Channel it will continue its battle to force the company to give it recognition.
Numast has already claimed victory when, last year, the Central Arbitration Committee upheld its application for recognition by the company for collective bargaining.
A Numast spokesman says that since the decision in its favour Hoverspeed has "tried to wheel out every excuse in the book" for continuing to refuse any dialogue with the union.
"This is unacceptable and we will fight to ensure the recognition ruling is enforced on whoever picks up the remnants of Hoverspeed," he adds.
Hoverspeed, at an earlier stage operating hovercraft to France, obtained its name as a result of a merger between Seaspeed in Dover and Hoverlloyd at Ramsgate.
Seaspeed was originally an arm of British Rail while Hoverlloyd was a Swedish company jointly owned by Swedish Lloyd and Swedish America Line.
Neither was making profits so they merged in 1981 to be based at Dover.
Three years later Hoverspeed was sold to its own directors, who in 1986 sold the company to Sea Containers, which eventually ditched the hovercraft and brought in Seacats between Dover and Calais.
But there were still not sufficient profits for Sea Containers so it axed the service in November, making scores of people redundant
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