Around 19,000 people have had their holiday plans left in chaos after Irish Ferries cancelled all sailings to France on the WB Yeats vessel this summer.

Irish Ferries has improved its fast ferry offering on the Dublin - Holyhead route with the introduction of high-speed craft ‘Dublin Swift’ which entered service today on the route following a full internal refurbishment.

Some Irish Ferries customers could have their summer holiday plans disrupted.

A number of Irish Ferries workers who hoped to remain on with the company have reportedly been told their jobs are being cut despite assurances they say they were given to the contrary.

The number of people using ferries for visits to Britain is continuing to fall despite the increase in overseas holidays, it emerged today.

SIPTU is still holding out for Government assurances on the protection of employment standards before it will agree to support the next round of social partnership talks.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has welcomed the resolution of the Irish Ferries dispute during talks that went on into the early hours of this morning.

The bitter dispute over Irish Ferries' controversial outsourcing plan has ended following a breakthrough in talks at the Labour Relations Commission overnight.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin today urged both sides in the Irish Ferries row to find a solution as the deadline by which the company had threatened to cut the redundancy package approached.

Irish Ferries has tonight upped the ante in the long running dispute involving SIPTU members by threatening to slash the terms of the redundancy package for staff.

Both sides in the Irish Ferries dispute are expected to resume talks at the Labour Relations Commission today in an effort to resolve the bitter row over the company's outsourcing plans.

The Labour Party has congratulated the trade union movement for what it says was the "fantastic" turnout at last Friday's national day of protest.

Four Irish Ferries workers staging a 17-day lock-in on one of the firm’s ships today thanked the tens of thousands of protesters who marched during yesterday’s national day of protest.

Tens of thousands of employees today turned out to protest in solidarity with Irish Ferries workers who are fighting attempts by the company to replace them with cheaper foreign labour.

The row over outsourcing jobs to cheap foreign staff at Irish Ferries is a harbinger of wider problems in the economy, Congress general secretary David Begg warned today.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association has accused SIPTU of manipulating the trade union movement for its own purposes in relation to the Irish Ferries dispute.

Public transport services are facing major disruption this afternoon during protests against Irish Ferries' plan to replace its seafaring workers with cheaper labour from eastern Europe.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend demonstrations throughout the country today to express their opposition to the erosion of employment standards.

Officials from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions met with gardaí today to finalise plans for a National Day of Protest in support of staff at Irish Ferries.

Irish Ferries has threatened to take court action against Iarnrod Eireann in connection with a protest that has prevented the MV Normandy from docking in Rosslare.

SIPTU and Irish Ferries have entered a third day of talks at the Labour Relations Commission in an effort to resolve the dispute over the company's controversial "outsourcing" plan.

British trade unionists are due to mount a protest in the Welsh port of Holyhead today to show solidarity with workers at Irish Ferries.

Trade unionists from across the UK are to travel to Holyhead tomorrow for a rally in support of Irish Ferries workers.

Teachers have been warned they will be docked pay if they leave work to attend Friday's national day of protest in support of Irish Ferries workers.

Support for workers fighting plans to outsource hundreds of jobs at Irish Ferries was spreading across all sectors today with teachers’ and transport unions backing a national day of protest.

Teachers have been urged to ensure that all schools have enough staff to remain open during this Friday's planned protests in support of Irish Ferries workers.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is expected to press ahead with its planned Irish Ferries rally regardless of the outcome of talks at the Labour Relations Commission.

Both sides in the Irish Ferries dispute are due to resume talks today in an effort to resolve the bitter row over the company's controversial "outsourcing" plan.

National protests in support of Irish Ferries workers who are fighting against their replacement by cheaper foreign staff must go ahead, union leaders demanded today as the two sides attended talks to resolve the dispute.

SIPTU has arrived at the Labour Relations Commission for talks in the Irish Ferries dispute.

National school teachers and principals are expressing concern over the Irish Ferries national day of protest on Friday.

Fresh talks aimed at ending the Irish Ferries dispute are expected to get underway today following an intervention from the National Implementation Body.

Management at Irish Ferries tonight confirmed they were willing to enter into talks with union leaders in a bid to secure a breakthrough in a bitter dispute over the outsourcing of staff.

Shore staff at Irish Ferries tonight voted in favour of industrial action in support of ships officers embroiled in a long-running dispute at the company.

Irish Ferries workers tonight vowed not to obstruct new services to relieve the build-up of trucks at ports.

Irish Ferries workers tonight vowed not to obstruct new services to relieve the build-up of trucks at ports.

Dublin port workers tonight voted to support Irish Ferries staff fighting attempts to replace them with cheaper foreign labour, by refusing to handle any of the firm’s ships.

SIPTU has accused employers in the construction sector of engaging in similar activities to those that have caused huge controversy at Irish Ferries.

Opposition TDs have attacked the Government over its approach to the deteriorating industrial relations situation at Irish Ferries.

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 grounding of four Irish Ferries ships could start hitting Irish manufacturing jobs within a fortnight, it was claimed today.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is due to meet today to finalise plans for a national day of protest in solidarity with Irish Ferries workers.

Private sector unions are meeting to discuss what has become a tense stand-off in the row over outsourcing at Irish Ferries.

Irish Ferries and SIPTU are expected to attend separate talks at the Labour Relations Commission today in an effort to resolve the row over the company's controversial "outsourcing" plans.