Irish Ferries vessel prevented from docking

The Irish Ferries vessel, the MV Normandy was prevented from docking at the French port of Cherbourg on Monday (July 18) morning by union activists as part of an ongoing dispute over pay rates.

The blockade was mounted by unions affiliated to the International Transport Workers' Federation to highlight the recruitment of foreign workers on low pay rates on board the vessel.Norrie McVicar, a spokesman for the protestors, said: "Irish Ferries are using cheap labour from former eastern bloc countries who are now European citizens and paying them somewhere in the region of 1 euro-an-hour.

"This goes against the principles of the Treaty of Rome in terms of equality and the free movement of labour."