ICTU arranges day of protest over Irish Ferries dispute

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has arranged a national day of protest for December 9 to show solidarity with workers at Irish Ferries.

The company is currently trying to replace all its seafaring staff with cheaper labour from Latvia in an effort to cut costs.

The company wants to hire Latvians on less than the minimum wage and on weaker employment terms than its existing crews.

ICTU is already refusing to enter talks on a new social partnership deal unless it receives assurances from the Government and employers that such "job displacement" will not be allowed to happen.

It has now decided to arrange a national day of protest to allow members of the public and other workers to show their support for Irish Ferries staff.

ICTU said the event would see protests taking place in a number of locations across the country on Friday, December 9, with the main march due to take place in Dublin.