600 ferry staff face unpaid layoffs over row

ABOUT 600 ferry company employees could be laid off for several months without pay following a conflict with unions.

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.