Talks on Irish Ferries dispute continue

Efforts to resolve the dispute at Irish Ferries were continuing on Thursday, December 8th, with an early suggestion (later withdrawn) that management had been preparing to close the firm.

Siptu remains in dispute with the company over its plan to replace up to 543 unionised seafarers with agency workers from abroad on wages of €3.60 an hour.

A Siptu proposal that the union claimed would give the company a reduction in its cost base was being considered by management in the talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).
There were fears for the company’s future on Thursday, December 8th, after a meeting of staff was convened on board one of its vessels, the Isle of Inishmore, which is moored at the port of Pembroke in Wales.

A source on the ship stated that a senior company official told staff that unless agreement was reached in the LRC talks by 6pm, the company would close.
The source also said that the redundancy package would be withdrawn and that staff in such circumstances would receive only statutory redundancy.

A second meeting convened later revised the earlier threat that the company would close.
A number of hours after the 6pm “deadline” passed, talks were continuing. LRC chief executive Kieran Mulvey stated that the commission was focused on trying to get a resolution.