STRIKES hit ferry services linking mainland Scotland with the Western Isles yesterday as workers resisted plans to hand their jobs over to notorious privateer Serco.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady backed the strike and pledged the workers full support.

“History has taught us again and again that outsourcing leads to a worse deal for staff and service users,” she said.

“If Serco takes over these contracts it would likely mean service cuts, job losses and cost-cutting to generate profits.”

The SNP Scottish government has refused to resist a European Union instruction that the ferry operation Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), which it owns, be offered to the private sector.

And the SNP trade union group has not offered support to the strikers to the anger of their union RMT.

RMT and the ferry workers are well aware of Serco’s shocking record in running public contracts.

The Hampshire-based transnational specialises in taking over public services and exploiting the services and their workers for profit.

Last year it had to repay £68.5 million to the Exchequer after revelations that it had been overcharging for electronically tagging convicts outside prison.

Serco was found to be charging the taxpayer for tagging people who had died, gone abroad, or who were back in prison.

The CalMac workers are demanding assurances that their wages, jobs and conditions be guaranteed whatever the outcome of the attempted privatisation.

“RMT members are rock solid in their support for the action we have been forced to take to defend CalMac from an unnecessary and damaging attack,” said RMT general secretary Mick Cash.

“The ball is now firmly in CalMac’s court and we expect them to act swiftly now.”

Yesterday’s 24-hour strike caused two-thirds of CalMac’s 27 daily voyages to be cancelled.