Caledonian MacBrayne chief Martin Dorchester has voiced his disappointment that RMT members have confirmed that they are to stage a second 24 hour strike on Friday July 10.

The managing director said: “We are extremely disappointed that the RMT has chosen to continue with strike action.The best way to protect the existing terms and conditions of its members is to work with us to ensure we win the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract and this action is damaging.

“We are anxious to avoid any more disruption which is not in the best interests of our employees and the communities we serve and would urge all our colleagues to turn out for work.” Meanwhile, it has been reported by The Scotsman newspaper that tourism operators in the Western Isles have called on the Scottish Government to prevent the strike during the height of the summer season.

They have also called for compensation for the damage caused to trade and 'reputational image of the islands'.

* RMT members working on Caledonian MacBrayne ferries have confirmed that they are to stage a second 24-hour strike on Friday July 10.

The union announced within the past hour that its members would be participating in a second 24 hour stoppage in the ongoing row concerning jobs, working conditions and pensions.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “Despite the most strenuous efforts to negotiate a settlement on CalMac we are still not getting the clear assurances that we seek that will defend the safety-critical jobs and working conditions that go hand in hand with delivering safe and efficient lifeline ferry services to the communities that we serve.

“It is a cold hard fact that privatisation is all about a race to the bottom in order to maximise profits and our members will not sit back while they are caught in the crossfire of the tendering process.

So far, there has been no confirmation on how the Largs-Cumbrae service will be affected, after a limited half hourly service was run last Friday.

* Millport correspondent Mary Currie has said that the uncertainty concerning future strike action could be devastating for businesses this summer.

Mrs Currie, who helps run Island Express delivery service, said she hopes that the issue can be resolved between Cal Mac and the RMT union soon to prevent more disruption and uncertainly, as happened last week.

Although a half hour service did run on Friday during the 24 hour strike action, which resulted in some ferries not running at all across the west of Scotland, Mrs Currie stated that people were kept in the dark and not given enough notice of the situation, and had to make alternative arrangements.

Despite the Cal Mac website stating that services would continue to run between Cumbrae and Largs last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Mrs Currie said: “The information we were receiving from the Pier Office was that nobody knew if the crew members would be going through the picket line or not. Everyone on the island was worried and nobody really knew what was happening.” “Lots of people were making alternative arrangements, and holidaymakers were coming down on Thursday as nobody wanted to risk travelling on the Friday. Not knowing what is happening exactly causes a devastating effect. and it was really quiet on the island during the weekend.” With no confirmation of how sailings would be affected early in the week, Mary said that businesses like her own had to double up on delivery orders instead of risking a nervous wait.

She said: “The uncertainty is the worst part - nobody could leave anything for chance. Then when it resumed on Saturday, the smaller ferry broke down, so it was back to a disrupted service on the Saturday, before it returned at 1pm. If people hear of disruption, it puts them off from coming.

“I hope the matter gets resolved sooner rather than later.”