Herm and Trident "a country mile apart" in contract negotiations

Friday 04 September 2020

Herm is renegotiating its contract with Travel Trident, after the current agreements came to an end during lockdown.

The current contract, which had been held for over a decade, is "not fit for purpose in 2020", as the strain of the corona virus pandemic has been felt on both sides.

Both parties are hopeful that a new contract can be arranged, but according to both sides, talks are in their early days.

"At the moment, we're quite a long way off," said Peter Wilcox, Managing Director of Travel Trident. "Everything's pleasant - we work very closely with Herm, as we have done for 51 years. It's very important that we try and work together, because we need to put the public's interests first."

Mr Wilcox made it clear that there was "no fallout, no bad feelings" between Trident and Herm. "We're a country mile apart on what each other wants," he said. "Herm don't want the contract agreement on our terms, and we don't want it on their terms, so we need to find that balance." 

Pictured: The financial strain caused by the corona virus means that Herm will be looking at the Terms & Conditions of its Travel Trident contract "very differently".

"But these things happen. You have a starting point, you negotiate, hopefully find a middle ground and off we go again. It will come together, I'm sure."

Craig Senior, CEO of Herm Island, is also eager to come to an agreement that works for everyone. “My first option is to work with Trident,” he said. “My second option is to work with Trident, and my third option is to work with Trident.”

“Any contract from 10 years ago is going to change,” he said. “We are hopeful, with the support of the States of Guernsey, to agree to a mutually beneficial resolution, and continue the excellent relationship we have harvested over the many years with Travel Trident.”

Negotiations are currently ongoing between the two entities, with the States of Guernsey acting as arbitrators between them.

Earlier in the year, it was predicted that Herm would lose £2 million due to lockdown. It reopened within the ‘Bailiwick Bubble’ in Phase 4, and extended the life of travel vouchers to encourage tourists to return when it was safe.