Ferry finds port in a storm as union relents

IRISH Ferries was accused of using its passengers as “human shields” last night after SIPTU workers relented and allowed the company to dock its vessel, the MV Normandy, at Dublin Port on “humanitarian grounds”.

Despite the workers making clear they would not handle the ship, the Normandy set sail from the French port of Cherbourg for Rosslare on Saturday night with more than 100 passengers on board, including a nine-week-old baby.

Iarnród Éireann, which operates Rosslare, told the company that because of health and safety concerns caused by the workers’ stance, the docking of the Normandy could not be facilitated at the port.

The vessel was due to arrive at Rosslare at 5.15pm yesterday, but diverted once workers at the port made it clear they had no intention of altering their position.

Workers at Dublin port, however, eventually relented, saying they did not believe innocent passengers should be made suffer because of the union’s dispute with the company.

They agreed to allow the ship dock “on humanitarian grounds”, a spokesman said, but refused to cooperate with Irish Ferries. This meant that, rather than unionised radio operators and pilots guiding the ship into port, senior Irish Ferries management with experience of such tasks were expected to do so.

The ship was scheduled to dock around 10.30pm last night, to the relief of the passengers on board who were unwitting participants in a tense 24-hour drama.

The original decision of SIPTU workers at both ports to refuse to handle the vessel was taken as an act of solidarity with their union colleagues at Irish Ferries, who are locked in an increasingly bitter row with the company over its plans to lay off 543 staff and replace them with cheaper foreign labour.

The Dublin workers’ decision, however, appeared to cause some friction with their colleagues in Rosslare. The key issue, union sources indicated, was whether allowing the Normandy dock last night would be seen as a sign of weakness by Irish Ferries. But in the end, the Dublin workers felt they had no other option but to allow the vessel in.

The Normandy, however, was but one element of the dispute, which escalated several notches over the weekend.

Crews of the Isle of Inishmore, Ulysses and the Jonathan Swift continued to prevent the three vessels from sailing, leaving them stranded in Pembroke, Holyhead and Dublin, respectively.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation called on the Government to investigate how security guards hired by Irish Ferries “attempted to seize control” of the Isle of Inishmore and Ulysses. The security personnel boarded both ships on Thursday, and were followed by workers from Eastern Europe.

Irish Ferries, however, robustly denied any suggestion that heavy-handed tactics were used.

The company will hold informal talks with the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) today. SIPTU will meet with the LRC separately.