The French would not step in to help - Condor CEO
FRENCH authorities had no interest in helping Condor oust strikers holding the Rapide to ransom, the company's CEO has said.
The fast ferry finally arrived back in Guernsey yesterday after a 13-day stand-off in St Malo.
The strike saw 10 employees trying to force through better pay and working conditions by camping out on the vessel.
CEO James Fulford, who was on board the commandeered Rapide for eight days, was pleased finally to have resolved the situation when he finally stepped off the ferry yesterday.
Some islanders asked why the company had not simply fired the staff and had them removed from the ship.
But Mr Fulford, pictured, said the situation was not that simple.
'It's a grey area. They were camping out – sleeping on the floor. Some were sneaking ashore and claiming they weren't – the key thing was they were conducting their actions on the company's property and stopping the company property being used for the company,' he said.
'The problem was that while that wouldn't be legal in the UK or Guernsey it's a grey area in France. It's probably illegal but in the current climate the French authorities did not see fit to enforce against it.'
