ylop
Well-known member
I think whilst not automatic its too nuanced a question to get a definitive answer. If you were to make a claim and they were to try and defend it they might well suggest that your role actually expected you to do other things in this situation - like contact senior management for advice or to seek the safest possible solution. I'm not sure if vessels this size have keys but assuming you some how accessed them was that the expected behaviour of an employee. Had "Professional Salvors Ltd" turned up and ask for those keys would you just have handed them over or would you have sought management instruction. Of course that might not mean you don't have a salvage claim, but it might mean that successful claim would see you fired for having expose the business to an unauthorised cost (especially one you benefit from) without consulting them!My enquiry was if a Shore side contract of work precluded a claim of salvage on a vessel.
Who did the harbour master think he was making the request to "Workboats Ltd" or "Josh Trucker" personally? Had you not happened to be qualified and competent to fix the issue what would either you have done or the HM have done? Had you got injured in the process would you have expected compensation from employer or HM or expected them to pay your whilst recovering. Because I'm not sure you can morally have it both ways....I have a skippers ticket that allows me to take the workboat I moved, I happen not to be employed as a vessel skipper at the company I work.... the harbour master requested something be done with the vessels...
FWIW, if you were my employees (or even "friends of employees") I'd have thanked you graciously and happily included a spot bonus in your paycheck (or our current favourite is a thank you card with Amazon gift card) as recognition for your efforts - we'd have done that unprompted. If you came to me saying you thought you deserved this and mentioned the salvage word you might find the sort of response that others have suggested! The magnitude of the "reward" you are seeking is very easy for a willing employer to do - make it £1000+ and it will be requiring all sorts of discussions and approvals and probably end up in their legal/accounting dept bureaucracy.