George Lonie

That the Parliament records its thanks to the RMT representative, George Lonie, on his work with the development and delivery of successful, reliable, publicly-operated lifeline ferry services for workers and passengers on Clyde and Hebrides routes and across Scotland; recognises George's commitment over 49 years in the industry to improving the employment conditions of all transport workers, particularly Caledonian MacBrayne seafarers, and his role in the development of ferry policy in Scotland since the Parliament was established in 1999; applauds his consistent challenge to the legal advice provided to successive administrations on the need to tender public contracts for lifeline ferry services; notes the change to Scottish Government policy in 2016 in order to pursue a so-called Teckal exemption from the European Commission for lifeline ferry contracts; recalls George's service as a member and activist of the National Union of Seamen, member of the RMT's Council of Executives and chair of the RMT's Western Isles Port Committee, and wishes George a long and active retirement, and hopes that he will continue to be an active and passionate campaigner.