High Court halts Irish Ferries from laying off staff

THE continued standoff at Irish Ferries took a dramatic twist yesterday as the union was granted a temporary injunction preventing the company from laying off any staff.

The injunction, granted yesterday afternoon by the High Court, means Irish Ferries will not be able to proceed with its compulsory redundancy plan at least until a further court hearing next Wednesday - one day after SIPTU’s strike notice runs out.

However, any strike will not take place immediately as SIPTU last night gave the Labour Court a guarantee it would hold off on industrial action until the Court finishes investigating the matter.