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

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.

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

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.

Ships officers on board the Irish Ferries vessel, the 'Isle of Inishmore', which is docked at Pembroke in Wales, have announced that they have secured its wheel house, as the dispute over the out-sourcing of jobs continues.

The Labour Party has called on the Government to intervene in the dispute over Irish Ferries' controversial plan to replace its workers with cheap labour from abroad.

Two Irish Ferries ships remained tied up in Wales this morning due to a stand-off between workers and management over the company's controversial "outsourcing" plan.

The Labour Court is due to hold hearings today into the dispute over Irish Ferries' plans to replace its seafaring staff with cheaper labour from eastern Europe.

Irish Ferries has taken out full-page newspaper adverts defending its plan to replace 540 workers on its Irish Sea routes with cheaper labour from eastern Europe.

A crowd of several thousand marched on the Dáil this afternoon to protest against Irish Ferries' plans to make 550 staff redundant and replace them with cheaper foreign labour.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has promised that the Government will address the concerns that have prompted SIPTU to withhold its support for social partnership.

SIPTU branch representatives are due to decide today whether to withhold their support for social partnership as a result of the situation at Irish Ferries.

The future of social partnership is expected to dominate SIPTU's national delegate conference in Cork later today.

The Tánaiste Mary Harney has defended the Government's handling of the dispute over Irish Ferries' move to replace its workers with cheaper labour from abroad.

Talks between the social partners have reportedly failed to produce any breakthrough in the row over Irish Ferries' plans to replace its existing workers with cheap labour from abroad.

SIPTU has served two weeks' strike notice on Irish Ferries as a result of the company's plans to replace workers on its Irish Sea routes with cheaper labour from abroad.

The Irish Ferries vessel, the MV Normandy, has been prevented from entering Roscoff Port in France this morning.

Talks between unions and management at Irish Ferries are reportedly due to get under way at the Labour Relations Commission next Tuesday.

EXPORT and tourism chiefs last night called for a speedy resolution to the Irish Ferries dispute and warned of the negative impact the strike was having on trade and tourism.

In a slow day on the ISEQ index, the Dublin stock exchange was up 17.02 points to 6,070.04 by the end of the day.

Irish Ferries is reportedly set to lay off a further 150 staff today due to ongoing strike action by SIPTU members at the company.

Irish Continental Group has announced that its ferries division is restructuring its service between Ireland and France in order to reduce costs and maintain competitiveness.

A TRUCK driver was killed in a freak accident at Dublin Port yesterday morning.

Irish Ferries' new cross-channel vessel Ulysses has received a prestigious award for most significant new ferry.