600 ferry staff face unpaid layoffs over row
Irish Ferries, which employs 770 seagoing staff, yesterday warned services on three of its four routes will be suspended unless unions agree to resume talks on cost-cutting measures of more than €3 million annually. The company is part of the shipping, transport and leisure group, Irish Continental Group, which hopes to generate group profits of €23m this year from an estimated turnover of €317m.
Irish Ferries has set a deadline of this Friday for SIPTU and the Seaman’s Union of Ireland to come back to the negotiating table. Talks in the Labour Court broke up in January without agreement.
